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tihvary  of  Che  trheolo^icd  ^tminary 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

Rufus  H.   LeFevre 

.1L.H& 


H-  Z 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2009  witii  funding  from 

Princeton  Tiieoiogicai  Seminary  Library 


littp://www.archive.org/details/churchinearnestcOOhoug 


CI)e  CI)urcl)  in  earnest 


^'Enlarge  the  place  of  thy  tent,  and  let  them 
stretch  forth  the  curtains  of  thine  habitations;  spare 
not,  lengthen  thy  cords,  and  strengthen  thy  stakes; 
for  thou  shall  break  forth  on  the  right  hand  and  on 
the  left;  and  thy  seed  shall  inherit  the  Gentiles,  a?id 
make  the  desolate  cities  to  he  inhabited.  Fear  not; 
for  thou  shall  not  be  ashamed^ — {^Isa.  ^4:2-4.) 


•  I 


Jur;  U  1952 


The  Church  in 
Earnest 


A  CALL  FOR  THE  TRAIN- 
ING NECESSARY  FOR 
WORLD  ACHIEVEMENTS 


A  Word  of  Preparation  by 


Ediudbf. 

General  Secretary 
Of  the  Foreien  Miasionary  Society 


SECOND  EDITION 


Tht  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the 

United  Brethren  in  Christ 

Dayton,  Ohio 


Copyright,  igo8,  by 

The  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the 

United  Brethren  in   Christ 

Dayton,  Ohio 


a  ffiaorD  of  preparation 

The  demand  of  the  hour  is  for  the  awakening 
and  training  of  the  local  churches  in  efficient, 
broad  service.  There  must  be  knowledge,  vision, 
and  enthusiasm;  but  we  dare  not  stop  with  these. 
The  awakened  life  must  be  led  into  practical  serv- 
ice and  be  trained  to  do  the  full  will  of  God. 

This  volume  is  the  best  and  most  sane  treat- 
ment of  the  aims,  organization,  instruction,  and 
training  necessary  to  make  each  church  a  world 
force,  that  has  yet  appeared  in  our  denomination. 
Each  of  the  ten  chapters  is  written  by  an  expert, 
who  has  tested  in  practical  experience  what  he  pre- 
sents. The  church  is  ripe  for  the  message  this  book 
brings,  and  every  pastor  ought  to  possess  a  copy  at 
once,  and  study  it  closely  for  the  suggestions  and 
enrichment  it  will  bring  not  only  to  his  own  per- 
sonal life,  but  also  to  his  public  ministry.  The 
output  of  power  from  our  local  churches  could 
doubtless  be  doubled  at  once  if  the  teachers  and 
officials  would  study  this  book,  and  put  its  sug- 
gestions and  methods  into  practice. 

The  world  is  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge. 
The  church  is  God's  only  agency  for  the  advance- 


X      A     / 


ment  of  the  kingdom  in  the  world;  but  the  church 
is  weak  and  blundering,  without  clear  and  full 
light.  Nothing  but  a  world-wide  vision  of  the 
work  and  mission  of  Jesus  Christ  will  quicken  the 
heart  of  the  church  and  fill  her  with  the  enthusi- 
asm necessary  for  the  largest  development  of  her 
own  life,  and  the  most  speedy  conquest  of  the  world 
for  Christ. 

This  volume  will  help  mightily  in  reaching  this 
goal.  Give  ear,  every  member  of  the  local  church; 
obey  God,  honor  Christ,  and  carry  or  send  the 
gospel  to  every  creature  for  whom  he  died. 

(Bishop)   G.  M.  Mathews. 

Chicago,  III.,  August  4,  1908. 


Content0 


Chapter  Page 

I.    The  Grace  That  Enlarges 

Rev.  J.  8.  Kendall        ....  9 

II.    The  Awakening  of  the  Men  of  America 
TO  Save  the  World 
Rev.  J.  O.  Ruber  .  ...  18 

III.  A  Fourfold  Advance  for  Foreign  Missions 

R^v.  O.  M.  Roby  ...  -  27 

IV.  The  Missionary  Opportunity  of  the 

Sunday  School 

Prof.   W.  O.  Clippinger  .  -  -  38 

V.    The  Mission  Study  Class,  An  Indispen- 
sable Agency 
Rev.  J.  Edgar  Knipp  -  -  -  48 

VI.    The  Conference  Foreign  Missionary 
Committee  An  Essential  IjInk 
Rev.  S.  F.  Daugherty  -  -  ♦  57 

VII.    AN  Efficient  Missionary  Committee 
IN  Each  Local  Church 
Rev.  L.   Walter  Lutz     -  -  -  -  68 

VIII.    How  May  a  Presiding  Elder  Make 
His  District  a  World  Force 
Rev.  a  W.  Kurtz  ....  79 

IX.    The  Pastor  the  Pivotal  Man 

Rev.  Q.  D.  Batdorf      .  -  -  -  87 

X.    Pray'er  the  Supreme  Factor 

Secretary  8.  8.  Hough  -  -  -  98 

SlppmHicriB 

A.  The  Weekly  Offering  for  Benevo- 

lences, and  for  the  Local  Needs  109 

B.  Helpful  Missionary  Books  AND  Supplies    122 

vii 


Prefatorp  iQote  to  ©cconD 
CDition 

Three  thousand  copies  of  this  book  were  issued 
from  the  presses  of  the  United  Brethren  Publish- 
ing House,  August  12,  1908.  It  was  thought  that 
the  first  edition  would  supply  the  demand  for  such 
a  book  for  at  least  two  years.  The  fact  that  it  is 
necessary  to  issue  this  second  edition,  in  less 
than  two  months  after  the  book  first  appeared, 
reveals  clearly  that  this  little  volume  furnishes 
the  pastors  and  lay  workers  just  what  they  have 
been  looking  for. 

How  Use  This  Book  ? 

1.  Scores  of  pastors  have  ordered  from  five  to 
twenty-five  copies  for  their  local  officials  and 
teachers,  who  have  studied  the  book  and  then 
assembled  to  review  its  contents  and  adopt  new 
plans  for  the  enlargement  of  their  work. 

2.  This  book  can  be  used  with  great  profit  for 
two  or  three  lessons  supplemental  to  the  study  of 
the  new  foreign  mission  book,  "Our  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Enterprise."  Indeed,  the  study  of  that 
book  will  not  be  complete  unless  the  class  at  least 
reads  this  book  carefully,  also. 

3.  Each  family  in  the  Church  should  be  given 
an  opportunity  to  purchase  the  book  and  learn  the 
latest  methods  and  aims  in  gospel  work.  It  might 
be  an  excellent  thing  to  have  some  tactful,  conse- 
crated worker  canvass  the  entire  membership  with 
a  view  to  putting  one  book  in  each  family.  Every 
Sunday-school  library  and  missionary  library 
should  contain  a  copy  of  the  book. 

Dayton,  Ohio,  October  8,  1908. 


^6e  (3tatt  ^6at  (Enlargtsf 

Rev.  J.  S.  Kendall,  Cleveland.  Ohio 


The  efficiency  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
depends  on  the  strength  of  her  individual 
members.  This  being  true,  every  child  of  God 
should  be  anxious  to  meet  every  condition 
that  will  lead  to  his  largest  development 
and  most  fruitful  service.  Many  sources  of 
strength  stand  out  prominently  in  the  Word 
of  God  for  the  enlargement  of  the  believer's 
life. 

/  wish  here  to  call  special  attention  to  the 
grace  of  liberality  or  giving  as  a  source  of 
strength.  It  may  be  difficult  for  some  minds 
to  comprehend  how  liberality  can  become  a 
source  of  power.  I  am  satisfied  that  if  we 
will  stay  close  to  the  Word  of  God  and 
accept  its  teachings  on  this,  as  on  other  mat- 
ters of  revelation,  we  shall  be  led  to  recog- 
nize this  great  truth. 

There  are  many  things  that  are  indisputable 
in  nature,  in  science,  and  in  religion;  things 
that  I  cannot  fullv  understand,  but  thev  are 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

facts  nevertheless.  When  Jesus  declared  the 
necessity  of  the  new  birth  to  Nicodemus,  he 
did  not  give  its  philosophy,  nor  did  he  give  a 
very  comprehensive  answer.  He  only  declared 
it  to  be  a  fact. 

It  should  be  enough  for  us  when  His 
omniscience  declares  that  liberality  is  a  grace, 
and  that  by  exercising  therein  it  does  lead  to 
the  development  of  the  believer.  But  there 
are  reasons  that  we  can  discern  for  the  state- 
ment that  giving  is  a  means  of  grace.  We 
desire  to  set  forth  a  few  of  them. 

I.     How  Liberality  Becomes  a  Grace 

The  apostle  in  H.  Cor.  8:7,  in  speaking  of 
it,  classes  giving  with  other  graces,  such  as 
faith,  utterance,  knowledge,  diligence,  and 
love,  and  he  says,  "As  ye  abound  in  these,  see 
that  ye  abound  in  this  grace  [liberality]  also." 
I  can  point  out  only  a  few  general  principles 
and  then  trust  you  to  search  for  others.  I 
contend  that  liberality  becomes  a  grace 

1.  Because  it  destroys  selfishness.  There 
is  nothing  that  so  dwarfs  the  soul  and  hinders 
the  growth  of  the  individual  in  the  spiritual 
life  as  selfishness.  Jesus  taught  that  to  be- 
come his  disciples  we  had  to  deny  self;  and 

10 


The  Grace  That  Enlarges 

experience  has  taught  us  that  to  live  a  Hfe  of 
fellowship  with  him  we  must  live  a  life  of 
self-denial.  There  is  no  channel  through 
which  the  average  man  can  put  self  to  death 
and  destroy  selfishness  more  quickly  than  by 
the  liberal  giving  of  his  means. 

2.  It  develops  love.  Where  our  treasures 
are,  there  will  our  hearts  be  also ;  or,  in  other 
words,  where  our  investments  are,  there  will 
be  our  love  and  hearts'  affections.  If  money 
is  myself,  as  Doctor  Schauffler  states,  then 
where  our  money  is  invested  we  are  person- 
ally invested,  and  as  we  invest  ourselves  in 
any  cause  there  is  a  growing  love  for  that 
cause.  It  was  this  that  moved  J.  Hudson 
Taylor  in  the  declining  days  of  his  life  to 
long  for  China.  It  was  the  giving  of  fifty 
years  of  his  life  to  that  people  that  produced 
that  deep  love  for  them.  It  was  the  giving  of 
life  and  service  in  the  defense  of  the  flag  that 
caused  such  deep  love  for  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  in  the  hearts  of  the  old  veterans.  And 
as  we  give  bountifully,  whether  it  be  in  service 
or  means,  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  it  will  in- 
crease our  love  for  him  and  the  cause  for 
which  he  laid  down  his  life. 

3.  Liberality    has   pozver   to    multiply    the 

11 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

service  of  the  individual.  We  can  go  with  our 
money  where  we  cannot  go  in  person.  It  can 
toil  for  us  in  avenues  in  which  we  are  unfitted 
and  unquaUfied;  it  can  speak  all  languages 
and  do  all  kinds  of  service;  it  can  minister  to 
all  conditions  of  life.  With  it  we  can  per- 
petuate the  activities  of  our  lives ;  can  educate 
and  train  workers ;  can  provide  medicine  and 
physician  for  those  in  dire  need ;  can  build 
churches  and  endow  schools ;  can  put  in 
motion  influences  and  activities  that  will  con- 
tinue when  we  are  unable  to  serve. 

It  has  been  the  writer's  privilege,  through 
the  little  entrusted  to  him  to  labor  in  Africa, 
China,  Japan,  and  the  islands  of  the  sea.  No 
greater  joy  ever  came  to  my  own  heart  than 
when  we  received  the  tidings  that  through  our 
individual  offerings  workers  were  able,  in  far- 
off  lands,  to  bring  into  the  fellowship  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  precious  souls  out  of 
heathen  darkness. 

4.  It  leads  to  prayer  and  thanksgiving.  As 
our  investments  are  made  in  the  cause  of  the 
kingdom,  our  prayers  will  increase  in  fer- 
vency and  power  for  that  kingdom.  When 
the  home  church  will  give  of  its  life  and  sub- 
stance   for   extending   the   kingdom   into   the 

12 


The  Grace  That  Enlarges 

regions  beyond,  it  will  then  be  led  to  greater 
service  in  prayer  for  those  parts.  Hear  Paul 
in  II.  Cor.  9:11:  ''Ye  being  enriched  in 
everything  unto  all  liberality,  which  worketh 
through  us  thanksgiving  to  God."  As  we  be- 
gin to  praise,  we  shall  begin  to  enlarge  and 
grow  in  strength. 

Again,  it  will  cause  the  benefactors  to  cry 
unto  God  for  us.  See  II.  Cor.  9:  12-14  (R. 
V.)  :  'Tor  the  ministration  of  this  service 
not  only  filleth  up  the  measure  of  the  wants  of 
the  saints,  but  aboundeth  also  through  many 
thanksgivings  unto  God;  seeing  that  through 
the  proving  of  you  by  this  ministration  they 
glorify  God  for  the  obedience  of  your  confes- 
sion unto  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  for  the 
liberality  of  your  contribution  unto  them  and 
unto  all ;  while  they  themselves  also,  with  sup- 
plication on  your  behalf,  long  after  you  by 
reason  of  the  exceeding  grace  of  God  in  you." 

II.     The    Method  by  which   Giving  Becomes  a 
Means  of  Grace 

If  we  desire  to  have  our  giving  a  source  of 
strength  we  will  have  to  adopt  such  methods 
of  giving  as  will  make  God  a  real  factor  in 
our  daily  business.  I  am  sure  that  God  intends 

13 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

that  man's  employment  shall  be  to  him  an  aid 
in  his  spiritual  life.  We  know  that  the  present 
tendency  to  money-getting  tends  to  divorce 
many  from  God,  but  this  should  not  be  so.  I 
am  persuaded  that  when  we  get  a  proper 
vision  of  the  relation  of  our  lives  and  sub- 
stance to  the  kingdom  of  God,  that  farming, 
or  trading,  or  honest  labor  of  any  kind  will 
deepen  and  quicken  the  spiritual  life. 

The  Bible  plainly  says  that  the  Lord  he- 
comes  a  partner  with  him  who  gives  the  whole 
tithe  unto  God.  We  know  that  a  strong  and 
wicked  partner  is  a  power  for  evil ;  and,  on 
the  contrary,  we  are  sure  that  a  strong  and 
righteous  partner  is  a  power  for  good.  By  the 
giving  of  the  tithe  God  becomes  a  partner 
with  us  and  thereby  hallows  our  business, 
making  it  as  much  a  means  of  grace  to  us  as 
prayer  and  Bible  study.  Let  it  be  remembered 
that  the  law  of  the  sacred  tithe  is  the  defi- 
nitely-appointed plan  of  bringing  the  holy  God 
into  our  secular  life,  thereby  making  business 
sacred. 

The  giving  of  the  tithe  is  a  most  logical 
argument  for  growth  in  grace,  for  it  brings 
at  once  the  individual  to  the  observance  of  the 
essential   principles   of   growth — it   puts   God 

14 


The  Grace  That  Enlarges 

first.  It  means  that  the  worshiper  brings  one- 
tenth  of  his  harvest,  or  the  proceeds  of  his 
business  or  labor,  first  to  the  Lord  before  he 
takes  aught  for  himself.  Many  are  apt  to 
make  giving  correspond  with  spiritual  bless- 
ings, but  God  puts  it  the  other  way;  he 
makes  the  spiritual  blessings  depend  on  the 
right  use  of  our  substance.  See  Prov.  3 : 9, 
id;  Mai.  3:  10;  Luke  6:38. 

As  we  trace  Israel's  decline,  the  first  step 
away  from  God  seems  to  have  been  the  with- 
holding of  tithes  and  offerings.  In  the  re- 
vivals that  brought  them  back  to  God,  one  of 
the  essential  conditions  mentioned  was  that  of 
honoring  the  Lord  with  their  substance.  The 
people  of  Hezekiah's  day  recognized  their  sin- 
ful condition,  and  they  put  away  the  evil  of 
their  doings  and  brought  into  the  house  of  the 
Lord  "in  abundance  the  first  fruits  of  grain 
.  .  .  and  tithes  of  all  things  brought  they  in 
abundantly."  II.  Chron.  31:5.  As  a  result, 
the  priest  Azariah  said :  ''Since  the  people 
began  to  bring  the  offerings  into  the  house  of 
the  Lord  we  have  had  enough  to  eat,  and 
have  left  plenty,  for  the  Lord  has  blessed  his 
people." 

To  be  sure,  the  tithe  is  the  least  amount  we 

15 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

owe  the  Lord.  Some  should  give,  in  addition 
to  the  first  tenth,  many  times  that  amount  in 
free-will  offerings  to  meet  the  unparalleled 
needs  of  the  present  world-cry  for  the  bread 
of  life. 

The  greatest  revival  promise  in  the  Bible  is 
contained  in  this:  "Bring  ye  all  the  tithes 
into  the  storehouse  .  .  .  and  prove  me  now 
herewith,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  if  I  will 
not  open  you  the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour 
you  out  a  blessing  that  there  shall  not  be 
room  enough  to  receive  it."  We  are  praying 
for  the  revival.  Why  not  meet  the  condition? 
We  have  here  in  the  prophet's  declaration  the 
assurance  that  the  key  for  spiritual  enlarge- 
ment is  in  our  own  hand.  The  many  promises 
of  the  Word  of  God  on  this  subject  have  lost 
none  of  their  efficacy.  The  truth  that  "the 
liberal  soul  shall  be  made  fat"  is  just  as  sure 
and  powerful  to-day  as  when  first  spoken. 

We  are  confident  that  liberality  does  destroy 
selfishness  ;  it  promotes  love ;  it  greatly  extends 
the  working  power  of  a  life,  and  it  leads  to 
definite  prayer  and  praise.  There  are  ten 
thousand  witnesses  that  have  tested  and 
proven  the  fact  that  partnership  with  God, 
as  indicated  here,  is  a  sure  guarantee  for  spir- 

16 


The  Grace  That  Enlarges 

itual  enlargement  and  victory.  Reader,  will 
you  abound  in  this  grace  also,  and  prove  your 
glorious  Lord,  that  the  richness  and  fullness 
of  his  blessings  may  come  to  you,  and  through 
YOU  to  others? 


17 


^^t  ^toafetnino:  ot  tit  Q^en  ot  America 
to  &abe  tge  ddlotld 

Rev.  J.  G.  Huber,  D.D.,  Dayton,  Ohio 


This  subject  implies  two  things:  First,  that 
the  world  is  not  yet  evangelized.  After  nine- 
teen hundred  years  of  preaching,  the  message 
of  salvation  has  not  yet  reached  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth.  Millions  are  still  living  in  dark- 
ness. As  we  look  upon  the  great  continents 
outside  of  Europe  and  North  America,  it 
seems  that  only  the  rims  have  been  touched. 

The  subject  signifies,  also,  that  the  men 
composing  a  large  portion  of  the  Christian 
church  have  not  been  awake.  An  eminent 
English  bishop  not  long  since  said  of  the  men 
of  his  country,  that  while  they  were  "inter- 
ested partners,  they  were  sleeping  partners." 
Is  not  this  sadly  true  of  the  men  in  our  own 
land?  Must  we  not  face  the  fact  that  the 
physically  strongest  portion  of  the  church,  the 
wealth-creating  and  controlling  part  of  the 
church,  has  been  asleep  with  reference  to  the 
world-wide  spread  of  the  gospel? 

18 


The  Awakening  of  the  Men 

Napoleon  once  said  of  China,  ''When  she  is 
moved,  she  will  move  the  world ;  therefore  let 
her  sleep."  Of  the  men  of  the  church  it  may 
well  be  said,  "When  they  are  moved,  they  will 
move  the  world ;  therefore  let  them  awake." 
''Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from 
the  dead  and  Christ  shall  give  thee  light." 
"Awake,  awake,  put  on  thy  strength." 

Two  factors  are  fundamental  in  the  awak- 
ening of  men  for  the  salvation  of  the  world : 
First,  the  relation  of  the  men  to  Christ 
himself  as  Savior  and  Master ;  his  supremacy 
over  their  hearts,  their  plans,  and  their  posses- 
sions. Once  again  the  man  of  Galilee  is  walk- 
ing through  the  world,  asking  men  to  give 
him  first  place.  He  is  calling  men  to  prayer, 
and  to  strong,  clear-voiced  testimony  for  him. 
Should  not  the  men  of  our  Church  come  into 
a  closer  and  more  joyous  fellowship  with 
Christ  and  then  press  forward  in  a  positive 
and  irresistible  Christian  life? 

The  second  fundamental  is  for  the  men  of 
the  church  to  see  the  world's  needs.  How 
often  the  eyes  of  Jesus  must  have  scanned  the 
wide  horizon  from  the  high  ridge  back  of 
Nazareth !  And  did  he  not  think  of  the  race 
lying  in  darkness,  and  the  need  of  his  gospel 

19 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

bearing  light  to  all  the  world  ?  Would  that  all 
of  the  men  of  our  Church  might  to-day  stand 
with  Christ  at  some  such  altitude  and,  while 
seeing  the  world's  need,  catch  the  inspiration 
of  meeting  it!  One  who  has  traveled  in 
heathen  lands  may  shut  his  eyes  and  have 
pass  before  him  countless  throngs  of  men, 
well-formed,  capable  men,  who  have  never 
had  a  chance  of  knowing  Christ,  passing 
blindly  on  in  life.  There  are  multitudes  of 
such  in  our  own  mission  fields.  The  men  of 
Europe  and  of  our  land  have  a  commercial 
interest  in  Porto  Rico,  Africa,  India,  China, 
and  Japan.  But  should  their  interest  be  only 
a  selfish  one?  Should  it  not  go  deeper  than 
what  they  can  get  out  of  those  lands? 

A  little  while  ago,  when  the  conflict  was  on 
in  New  York  State  between  Governor  Hughes 
and  the  race-track  gamblers,  the  latter  de- 
clared that  to  abolish  race-track  gambling 
would  lower  the  pedigree  of  our  horses.  The 
governor  manfully  replied,  "This  country  is 
not  so  much  interested  in  the  pedigree  of  its 
horses  as  in  the  pedigree  of  its  men."  When 
the  men  of  Christian  lands  see  the  world's 
need  as  Christ  saw  it,  they  will  have  less  con- 
cern for  the  material  resources  and  trade  out- 

20 


The  Awakening  of  the  Men 

put  of  heathen  lands  and  a  far  deeper  concern 
for  the  milHons  of  men  who,  with  their  wives 
and  children,  are  without  a  Savior. 

But  what  are  the  signs  of  an  awakening 
among  the  men  ? 

1.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion is  giving  a  sweeping  vision  to  its  men, 
and  is  planting  magnificent  associations  in  the 
cities  of  the  Orient.  When,  a  few  years  since, 
a  company  of  forty  or  fifty  picked  Associa- 
tion men  met  in  New  York  City  to  define  the 
four  essentials  of  Association  work,  foreign 
missions  was  placed  on  the  list. 

At  the  World's  Jubilee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
held  in  London,  Hon.  John  Wanamaker  de- 
clared :  "There  is  not  such  a  thing  as  a 
stranger  or  foreigner  any  longer  in  this  world. 
We  have  learned  how  small  the  world  is,  how 
near  together  it  is,  and  how  possible  it  is  for 
its  races  to  be  converted  to  God."  Such  an 
utterance  from  so  eminent  an  American  lay- 
man is  significant  both  of  the  spirit  of  the 
Y,  M.  C.  A.  and  the  rising  missionary  tide 
among  the  men  in  our  land. 

2.  The  deputations  of  strong  business 
men,  visiting  mission  fields  under  the  direction 
of   our   church   boards.      It   was   hoped    that 

21 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

during  the  last  half  of  1907  and  the  first  half 
of  1908  at  least  fifty  men  would  make  such 
tours  of  inspection.  But  instead  of  fifty, 
nearly  double  that  number  went  out  at  their 
own  expense !  Among  them  were  four  lay- 
men of  our  own  Church.  All  these  were  con- 
vinced of  the  value,  power,  and  permanency 
of  missionary  effort.  They  returned  with  a 
deepened  sense  of  responsibility. 

On  April  20,  1908,  Hon.  William  H.  Taft, 
in  a  great  address  before  the  Laymen's  Mis- 
sionary Movement  in  Carnegie  Hall,  New 
York  City,  asserted,  *'We  have  got  to  wake 
this  country  up  to  the  fact  that  there  are 
other  people  in  the  world  besides  us,  people 
who  have  been  thrust  upon  us  and  who  need 
our  time,  money,  and  help."  Should  not  the 
testimony  of  so  distinguished  a  layman  have 
great  weight  with  the  men  of  America?  *'The 
biggest  work  in  the  world  should  be  done  in 
the  biggest  manner  in  the  world  by  the  biggest 
men  in  the  world." 

3.  Men's  foreign  missionary  conventions 
have  exceeded  all  expectations  for  attendance 
and  power.  The  men  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  have  held  two  great  conventions  and 
also  have  pledged  themselves  to  a  standard 

22 


The  Awakening  of  the  Men 

of  five  dollars  per  member  for  foreign  mis- 
sions. The  men  of  the  Methodist  Church 
South  and  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
have  decided  upon  similar  increases.  Will 
not  the  men  of  our  United  Brethren  Church 
follow  these  splendid  examples?  If  the  men 
of  Korea  will  come  together  in  groups  of 
hundreds  for  the  study  of  the  newly-found 
Word  of  God,  and  then  scatter  out  to  teach 
their  fellow-countrymen,  is  it  not  time  for  the 
men  of  Christian  lands  to  cease  playing  at 
missions  and  do  the  world-work  of  the  king- 
dom with  the  energy  and  upon  the  scale  its 
importance  demands? 

4.  Laymen's  forzvard  campaigns  in  our 
chief  cities  constitute  another  factor  in  arous- 
ing the  men  of  our  country.  The  plan  of 
operation  is  for  a  vigorous  interdenomina- 
tional committee  to  bring  the  question  of  for- 
eign missions  directly  to  the  men  through 
meetings  in  the  different  churches.  After 
weeks  of  this  kind  of  work,  great  mass  meet- 
ings are  planned  for  a  period  of  days, 
addressed  by  forceful  speakers  from  abroad. 
A  certain  sum  is  fixed  as  the  aim  for  the  com- 
bined effort  of  all  the  churches  in  the  city. 
Then  each  denomination  takes  its  portion  of 

23 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

the  whole  amount  and  plans  to  reach  it  in  one 
or  more  years.  Denominational  assessments 
and  standards  are  left  behind  when  the  men 
really  lay  their  hands  upon  the  task  of  mak- 
ing Jesus  King  throughout  the  earth. 

The  movement  was  begun  in  October,  1907. 
During  the  first  six  months,  twenty-two  cities 
in  the  United  States  and  Canada  were 
reached.  In  fifteen  cities  of  the  United  States, 
containing  a  total  population  of  2,546,000,  the 
number  of  communicant  church-members  was 
310,585.  They  gave  to  religious  work  in 
America  last  year  $5,405,500,  and  to  similar 
work  abroad  $297,450.  As  a  result  of  these 
missionary  campaigns,  they  have  decided  to 
undertake  to  raise  a  total  of  $1,175,000  an- 
nually for  foreign  Christian  work,  an  aggre- 
gate increase  of  $877,550. 

During  the  same  period,  seven  cities  in 
Canada,  with  a  combined  population  of  950,- 
000,  and  reporting  136,818  Protestant  church- 
members,  gave  last  year  to  local  Christian 
work  $2,043,775,  and  to  home  and  foreign 
missions  $344,537.  They  voted  to  undertake 
an  offering  of  $997,000  to  all  missionary  pur- 
poses, an  increase  of  $632,000.     The  total  in- 

24 


The  Awakening  of  the  Men 

crease  pledged  by  447,403  church-members  in 
the  twenty-two  cities  is  $1,510,000. 

It  has  been  perfectly  evident  to  those 
actively  identified  with  these  campaigns  that 
God  has  been  at  work  in  a  most  wonderful 
way.  The  conviction  is  deepening  and  spread- 
ing that  we  are  in  the  final  campaign  of  the 
world's  conquest  for  Christ.  When  business 
men  will  say,  *T  would  rather  save  a  million 
men  than  save  a  million  dollars,"  the  coveted 
end  is  not  far  distant. 

The  greatest  physical  undertaking  of  the 
last  century  was  the  building  of  the  Panama 
Canal.  The  French  wasted  millions  of  money 
and  a  countless  number  of  lives,  and  finally 
abandoned  the  task  as  an  utter  failure.  The 
Americans  undertook  it.  One  by  one  impos- 
sibilities fled.  Under  the  tropical  sun  the 
work  is  going  forward  to  a  speedy  and 
glorious  completion. 

It  will  be  so  with  Christian  missions,  when 
our  American  men  become  thoroughly  en- 
listed. The  men  of  America,  with  the  Man 
of  Galilee,  can  save  the  world.  The  task  is 
stupendous ;  but  they  have  the  means,  the 
talent,  and  the  energy.    When  once  they  have 

25 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

the  vision  and  all-consuming  passion  of  their 
Leader,  it  will  be  speedily  accomplished. 

Our  growing  men's  classes  and  brother- 
hoods are  bringing  thousands  of  men  under 
the  influence  of  the  Bible.  Vast  numbers  of 
these  will  be  led  to  Christ  and  into  our 
Church.  They  will  unite  their  strength  with 
that  of  their  brethren  in  taking  the  responsi- 
bilities of  our  local  churches.  But  should  they 
not  have  an  aim,  a  grand  objective  beyond 
this — an  objective  that  will  command  their 
prayers,  their  support,  and  their  service;  an 
objective  that  includes  the  capture  of  this 
whole  country,  and  the  world  for  Christ? 


26 


Si  JFouttolti  janbanct  tor  JForelgn 

Rev.  U.  M.  Roby.  Barberton,  Ohio 


A  brief  survey  of  the  scope  and  nature  of 
the  work  which  the  Society  is  obHged  to  do, 
will  make  it  clear  that  our  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society  needs  at  once  a  fourfold  advance 
in  gifts  from  the  home  Church,  or  an  income 
of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  annually. 

The  Society  is  responsible  for  the  evangel- 
ization of  at  least  one  million  heathen  souls  in 
the  fields  in  which  it  is  now  at  work,  and  one 
million  five  hundred  thousand  more,  terri- 
torially belonging  to  us,  because  of  the  fact 
that  in  West  Africa,  east  of  the  field  in  which 
we  are  operating,  no  other  churches  are  at 
work  for  more  than  eight  hundred  miles 
throughout  that  whole  region.  These  mil- 
lions bring  to  our  Church  the  Macedonian 
cry  for  the  bread  of  life. 

A  Wide  Range  of  Work  to  be  Done 

In  reference  to  the  nature  of  the  work,  this 
needs  to  be  said :  The  Foreign  Missionary  So- 

27 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

ciety  does  the  work,  so  far  as  it  is  done  in  the 
foreign  fields,  that  several  societies  do  in  the 
home  land.  That  is,  the  Society  must  sup- 
port its  missionaries,  and  native  workers  in 
large  part;  organize  Sunday  schools  and 
churches;  build  chapels,  churches,  schools, 
and  missionary  residences,  and  maintain  the 
same  until  such  time  as  the  work  shall  become 
in  part  or  wholly  self-supporting.  In  addi- 
tion, academies  and  training-schools  must  be 
erected  and  equipped  for  the  training  of  native 
workers ;  printing-presses  are  needed,  and 
medical  missionaries  must  be  sent  out,  and 
dispensaries  and  hospitals  established,  and 
manual-training  and  industrial  agencies  main- 
tained. 

The  magnitude  of  the  tasks  to  be  performed 
in  our  foreign  fields  can  be  more  fully  appre- 
ciated when  we  remember  that  the  work  has 
to  be  carried  forward  against  false  religions, 
gross  ignorance  and  superstition,  and  in  lands 
where  the  climate  is  unhealthful,  and  where 
new  languages  must  be  learned,  and  the  whole 
work  must  be  done  at  a  long  distance  from 
the  base  of  supplies. 

The  present  is  probably  the  most  critical 
period  in  the  entire  history  of  our  foreign  mis- 

28 


A  Fourfold  Advance 

sionary  work.  God  has  wonderfully  blessed 
the  seed  sown.  As  a  Church  we  have  now  a 
good  number  of  the  best  type  of  trained  mis- 
sionaries on  the  field.  A  large  number  of  effi- 
cient ordained  native  ministers  are  being  pre- 
pared. The  outlook  is  full  of  hope.  This  is 
the  moment  of  supreme  opportunity  for  the 
home  churches  to  press  the  battle  vigorously. 
Just  now  the  need  for  chapels,  schools,  and 
other  equipment  is  extremely  great.  A  lay- 
man who  made  a  tour  of  the  mission  fields  of 
the  world  a  few  months  ago,  sent  the  follow- 
ing burning  message  to  the  home  church: 

''Cannot  you  say  something,  or  do  some- 
thing, to  make  the  church  in  America  realize 
that  just  now  is  the  Christian  opportunity  of 
centuries?  The  situation  is  extraordinary. 
If  the  Christian  church  has  any  conception  of 
strategy,  any  appreciation  of  an  opportunity, 
any  sense  of  relative  values,  she  will  act  at 
once;  not  next  year,  hut  now." 

The  reports  from  those  who  have  just  re- 
turned from  our  own  foreign  fields  show  that 
we  need  this  year  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars for  school-buildings,  chapels,  churches, 
and  missionary  residences,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  other  departments  of  the  work.    The  chal- 

29 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

lenge  for  a  fourfold  advance  is  thus  squarely 
before  every  pastor  and  local  church  of  our 
denomination. 

How  Secure  Two  Hundred  Thousand    Dollars 
Annually  ? 

We  come  now  to  consider  one  of  the  vital 
problems  of  our  denomination ;  namely,  How 
is  the  annual  income  of  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  for  the  Foreign  Missionary  Society  to 
be  secured?  Logically,  we  ask,  "Can  it  be 
secured?"  To  answer  this  question  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  financial  resources  and  of  the 
spirit  of  our  Church  is  necessary.  We  are 
not  a  wealthy  Church.  We  have  few  mil- 
lionaires, but  as  a  Church  we  have  some 
means  at  our  command.  We  have  many  who 
are  comparatively  well-to-do,  and  a  very  large 
number  of  our  people  are  wage-earners. 
When  all  the  members  of  the  Church  give  as 
they  are  able,  in  a  regular,  systematic  way, 
we  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  it  is  well  within 
our  ability  to  meet  this  need. 

Our  splendid  increase  in  offerings  to  for- 
eign missions  during  the  last  few  years,  when 
not  more  than  half  of  our  people  made  any 
contribution  at   all,   should  be  an  inspiration 

30 


A  Fourfold  Advance 

to  attempt  at  once  this  larger  aim.  In  three 
years'  time  the  offerings  have  increased  from 
$24,400  to  over  $52,800  annually  for  the  For- 
eign Missionary  Society.  The  total  receipts 
for  foreign  missions,  including  the  offerings 
from  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association 
for  the  last  Board  year  (ending  April,  1908), 
amounted  to  $91,856.32,  an  average  of  thirty- 
four  cents  per  member  for  the  denomination. 
While  this  is  better  than  some  of  the  other 
churches  have  done,  it  is  far  below  what  the 
most  wide-awake,  aggressive  denominations 
are  doing  for  world-wide  missions.  The 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  last  year  gave 
$2,094,410  to  foreign  missions,  an  average  of 
sixty-eight  cents  per  member;  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church  gave  $261,693,  an  aver- 
age of  $2.04  per  member;  the  Baptist  Church 
North,  $915,000,  an  average  of  sixty-one 
cents  per  member ;  and  the  Presbyterian 
Church  gave  $1,347,000,  an  average  of  one 
dollar  per  member.  And  every  one  of  these 
denominations  is  aiming  at  a  large  advance 
for  the  coming  year. 

When  we  remember  that  an  average  of  but 
one  dollar  per  member  for  our  whole  denom- 
ination would  give  to  the  Foreign  Missionary 

31 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

Society  its  two  hundred  thousand  dollars 
annually,  and  in  addition  provide  for  a  good 
increase  in  the  gifts  of  the  Woman's  Mission- 
ary Association,  who  can  doubt  that  this  can 
be  done,  and  ought  soon  to  become  an  accom- 
plished fact? 

The   Spirit  of   Our   Church   Lends    Encourage- 
ment 

I  need  scarcely  speak  of  the  spirit  of  our 
Church  in  the  matter  of  missions.  The  large 
number  of  classes  that  are  studying  foreign 
missions,  and  the  recent  arousing  of  the 
strong  forces  too  long  dormant;  the  remark- 
able awakening  of  the  men  of  the  Church; 
the  coming  of  the  broader  vision,  and  the 
keeping  step  with  world-wide  movements, 
should  convince  any  one  that  the  United 
Brethren  Church  is  missionary  in  spirit  and 
purpose.  I  believe  in  God;  I  believe  in  the 
genius  and  spirit  of  our  Church;  I  believe  in 
our  people.  We  have  the  resources,  we  have 
the  spirit,  we  have  seen  why  we  ought  to  do 
it,  but  as  yet  many  of  our  pastors  and  local 
leaders  do  not  know  hozv  to  do  it,  and  herein 
lies  our  weakness.  Tell  the  pastors  and  people 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church  what  they 
ought   to   do,    and    why    they    should    do   it; 

32 


A  Fourfold  Advance 

bring  them  the  larger  demands,  but  bring 
with  these  some  system  or  plan  which  can  be 
worked  intelligently  and  conscientiously,  and  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  say  that,  within  a  few  years, 
we  shall  have  an  annual  income  of  $200,000 
and  more  for  the  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 

An  Interest-Creating  Campaign  Necessary 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  misunderstood  at  this 
point.  A  constantly-increasing  emphasis  must 
be  put  on  the  educational  and  interest-creating 
work  of  the  Society  in  the  home  land.  A 
great  interest  must  not  only  be  aroused,  but 
maintained,  if  we  are  to  reach  our  goal — an 
interest  so  great  as  to  grip  every  member, 
from  the  cradle-roll  of  our  Sunday  schools  to 
the  official  boards  of  our  congregations  and 
the  governing  bodies  of  our  denomination — 
an  interest  that  will  make  the  giving  of  the 
gospel  to  CTery  creature  the  supreme  business 
of  every  church.  This  interest  can  be  created: 

First,  by  the  presiding  elder  and  pastors  in 
each  annual  conference  co-operating  with  the 
Foreign  INIissionary  Committee  and  the  gen- 
eral secretaries  in  educational  and  inspira- 
tional missionary  institutes,  thus  bringing  the 
freshest  information  and  best-approved  meth- 

33 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

ods  into  the  very  life  of  every  pastor,  who  in 
turn  must  bring  the  same  to  his  people.  Syste- 
matic instruction  in  the  Sunday  school  and 
Young  People's  societies  must  be  introduced 
and  developed  more  thoroughly,  and  foreign 
mission  study  classes  must  be  organized  and 
missionary  literature  placed  within  the  reach 
of  all.  All  this  is  absolutely  necessary  and 
imperative. 

Second,  this  interest  can  be  created  by 
placing  before  our  people  a  definite  aim.  That 
aim  must  not  only  be  definite,  but  also  large. 
The  people  must  know  just  what  is  expected, 
and  that  which  is  expected  must  be  sufficiently 
large  to  be  thought  worthy  of  their  considera- 
tion. *Tf  the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some 
great  thing,  wouldst  thou  not  have  done  it?" 
We  make  a  mistake  when  we  fail  to  bring 
before  our  people  the  challenge  of  the  difficult. 
A  man's  spirit  rises  up  to  do  a  man's  work, 
but  it  will  sleep  on  if  the  attempt  is  made  to 
interest  it  in  a  child's  undertaking  or  in  child- 
ish methods  of  doing  things.  There  is  some- 
thing in  the  human  spirit  which  causes  it  to 
rise  and  do  the  seemingly  impossible,  when  it 
realizes  that  this  is  the  proper  thing  to  do. 

We  can  have  men  of  the  United  Brethren 

34 


A  Fourfold  Advance 

Church  follow  us  as  the  old  guard  followed 
Napoleon,  if  we  set  world  tasks  before  them. 
The  members  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 
will  flock  to  our  standard  as  did  the  youth  of 
Italy  to  the  standard  of  the  great  liberator,  if 
the  appeal  is  to  the  heroic  and  to  the  spirit  of 
self-giving ;  but  it  is  useless  to  say  to  our  peo- 
ple, "There  will  be  no  Alps,"  and  attempt  to 
thrill  them  in  every  fiber  of  their  being  by  a 
passionate  appeal,  and  at  the  same  time  set 
before  them  the  insignificant  goal  of  an  aver- 
age of  fifty  cents  or  twenty-five  cents  per 
member,  as  their  contribution  toward  the 
accomplishment  of  the  mightiest  undertaking 
of  all  the  centuries. 

A  Definite  System  of  Offerings 

We  come  at  last  to  a  definite  and  compre- 
hensive system  of  offerings.  After  the  infor- 
mation has  been  given,  after  the  interest  has 
been  created,  there  must  still  be  a  system  of 
offerings  that  will  reach  the  largest  number  of 
our  people,  and  reach  them  in  a  way  that  will 
insure  the  greatest  possible  increase.  Steam 
and  enthusiasm  will  avail  but  little  unless 
there  be  a  judiciously-placed  and  well-ballast- 
ed track. 

35 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

It  is  with  no  thought  of  criticising  methods 
which  have  had  their  legitimate  place,  that  we 
say  that  now  we  have  too  many  co-ordinate 
interests — too  many  solicitors  with  equal  and 
ofttime  conflicting  claims,  and  that  as  pas- 
tors and  people  we  are  confused  by  too  many 
appeals. 

Why  not,  in  securing  the  benevolences  for 
our  Church,  include  all  the  interests  in  two  or 
three  logical,  well-defined  departments ;  elim- 
inating all  artificial  and  overlapping  divisions 
and  doing  away  with  oft-repeated  and  hurried 
canvasses  which  spoil  what  would  be,  with 
proper  cultivation,  increasingly  productive 
territory?  Such  combination,  followed  by 
clear  and  forceful  presentation,  and  a  careful 
canvass  for  subscriptions  that  shall  register 
the  weekly  amount  (according  to  I.  Cor.  16: 
2)  that  each  man,  woman,  and  child  who  is  a 
member  of  the  Church  is  willing  to  give  to 
meet  all  the  claims  of  the  local  church  for  the 
year,  will  result  in  largely-increased  offerings 
for  every  department  of  the  work.  Such  a 
system  is  business-like  and  scriptural ;  it  will 
appeal  to  the  best  Christian  business  men  of 
the  community,  and  it  will  develop  likewise, 

36 


A  Fourfold  Advance 

as  no  other  system  can,  the  spirit  of  worship- 
ful giving. 

If  the  carrying  of  the  gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture is  of  pressing  and  supreme  importance, 
is  it  not  high  time  to  introduce  a  method  of 
giving  that  will  bring  up  every  essential 
department  of  the  Church,  and  at  the  same 
time  be  adaquate  to  meet  the  needs  of  world- 
wide missions? 

We  have  dishonored  the  men,  and  over- 
looked that  which  no  amateur  in  politics  or 
statecraft  would  dare  to  ignore,  by  putting 
too  much  emphasis  upon  our  penny  collections 
and  mite-boxes  and  the  insignificant  tasks  we 
have  called  them  to.  Many  of  our  men  can, 
and  will  give  from  one  hundred  to  five  hun- 
dred dollars  annually  to  the  cause  of  foreign 
missions  when  they  see  its  real  significance. 
Hundreds  and  thousands  of  others  will  be 
glad  to  bring  their  fifty  cents  a  week  or  one 
dollar  a  week  for  this  great  work.  If  we 
give  our  men  men's  work  to  do,  we  shall 
not  find  them  wanting.  Two  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  annually  for  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  will  do  for  a  beginning. 


37 


Rev.  W.  G.  Clippinger 

Professor  in  Union  Biblical  Setninary 


Two  questions  at  once  arise  when  missions 
in  the  Sunday  school  are  suggested:  First, 
Should  missions  be  taught  in  the  Sunday- 
school?  Second,  Can  missions  be  taught  in 
the  Sunday  school?  Logically,  an  answer  to 
the  first  question  should  imply  and  compre- 
hend an  answer  to  the  second. 

Before  proceeding  to  a  consideration  of 
these  two  topics,  it  will  be  well  for  us  to  have 
a  clear  conception  of  what  we  mean  by  mis- 
sions. Let  it  be  understood  in  the  beginning 
that  unless  the  broadest  and  most  biblical 
aspect  of  world-wide  evangelization  be  ac- 
cepted as  a  working  basis,  the  effort  will,  in 
both  theory  and  practice,  defeat  its  own  end 
and  purpose.  So  when  we  speak  of  missions, 
we  do  not  mean  so-called  "foreign  missions"  or 
"home  missions."  These  terms  may  be  neces- 
sary  for  purposes   of   administrative   distinc- 

38 


opportunities  of  the  Sunday  School 

tion,  but  the  further  removed  from  the  mind 
of  the  child,  the  better. 

Let  niissioiis — the  gospel  to  the  whole  crea- 
tion— be  the  ideal,  but  let  us  be  sure  that  in 
the  interpretation  and  application  of  Jesus' 
command  we  get  the  conception  he  intended 
us  to  have  regarding  both  the  message  and 
the  field  of  missions. 

I.     Should   Missions  be  Taught  in    the    Sunday- 
School  ? 

1.  ^Missions  should  be  taught  because  in 
the  Sunday  school  the  greatest  number  can  be 
reached.  The  gospel,  which  is  the  message, 
is  world-wide.  Not  only  m  its  objective  ap- 
plication, but  it  is  likewise  world-wide  sub- 
jectively; that  is,  it  is  impossible  that  all 
unbelievers  know  the  gospel  unless  all  be- 
lievers know  their  need  and  know  the  fullest 
significance  of  the  gospel  in  its  application  to 
the  unsaved.  In  other  words,  the  gospel  can 
never  be  made  known  to  all  the  world  until  all 
Christians  themselves  have  the  fullest  concep- 
tion of  its  message  and  of  the  need  of  the  un- 
saved. The  Sunday  school,  therefore,  is  the 
largest  medium  by  which  and  through  which 
this  end  can  be  accomplished.  There  are  in 
most  communities  more  persons  in  the  Sun- 

39 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

day  school,  and  there  oftener,  than  in  any 
other  church  organization  or  gathering. 

By  introducing  missions  into  the  Sunday 
school,  the  ideal  situation  will  be  reached — 
that  of  instruction  and  training  for  an  entire 
congregation. 

2.  Missions  should  be  taught  in  the  Sun- 
day school  because  it  represents  ideally  and, 
in  fact,  the  educational  institution  of  the 
church.  It  includes  all  classes,  the  church- 
member  and  the  non-church-member;  the  old 
and  the  young;  the  high  and  the  low  in  social 
rank.  The  gospel  will  never  be  sent  to  every- 
body until  everybody  is  sending  the  gospel. 
In  the  Sunday  school,  therefore,  we  discover 
the  quickest  and  surest  means  of  reaching  this 
ideal.  Persons  will  never  give  to  missions, 
or  act  for  missions,  until  they  know  about 
missions. 

Some  have  urged  that  the  Sunday  school  is 
a  Bible  school,  and  that  only  Bible  truth 
should  be  taught ;  but  the  Bible  is  the  greatest 
book  in  the  world  on  the  history  and  progress 
of  missions.     Missions  is  the  Bible  in  action. 

Missions  should,  therefore,  be  taught,  first, 
for  the  sake  of  the  child  himself — for  his  per- 
sonal development ;  second,  for  the  sake  of  the 

40 


opportunities  of  the  Sunday  School 

world — those  upon  whom  he  may  exert  an  in- 
fluence. This  involves,  then,  the  two  essen- 
tial elements  of  ideal  development — character, 
and  character  for  service.  It  is  a  most  happy 
and  striking  coincidence  that,  simultaneous 
with  the  new  pedagogical  emphasis  upon  the 
vital  and  practical  in  all  education,  there 
comes  this  demand  for  the  study  and  practice 
of  missions.  In  fact,  it  is  almost  certain  that 
this  call  for  a  study  of  missions  in  the  Sunday 
school  is  only  one  of  the  practical  results  of 
the  application  of  modern  psychology. 

President  Goucher  very  wisely  observes: 
"Sunday-school  education  should  secure  three 
things  in  particular — the  conversion  of  the 
scholar,  the  development  of  his  Christian 
character,  and  his  efficient  personal  co-opera- 
tion with  the  church  in  world-evangelization." 

3.  Missions  should  be  taught  in  the  Sun- 
day school  because  here  we  have  the  most 
impressionable  ages.  One  of  the  greatest 
pedagogical  blunders  and  moral  crimes  the 
church  has  been  guilty  of  in  all  its  missionary 
effort,  is  its  neglect  of  missionary  instruction 
to  and  for  the  young.  It  is  only  within  the 
last  seven  years  that  our  Young  People's  so- 
cieties have  been  doing  systematic  and  orderly 

41 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

missionary  work,  and  here,  as  stated  before, 
few  of  the  youngest  children  and  only  about 
one-fifth  of  the  number  in  the  Sunday  schools 
are  reached.  While  we  need  to  interest  adults 
in  missions  for  what  new  enthusiasm  we  may 
awaken,  it  is  high  time  we  are  learning  that 
the  period  in  which  to  begin  to  create  mis- 
sionary spirit  and  to  make  missionaries,  is  in 
the  primary  and  intermediate  departments  of 
our  schools.  Who  can  measure  the  worth 
and  weight  of  an  impression  made  upon  a 
child  at  the  tender,  sensitive  age  of  six?  Who 
will  ever  know  the  positive  decisions  to  enter 
upon  a  life  of  Christian  service  made  by  boys 
and  girls  of  sixteen  to  eighteen  years,  under 
the  wise  counsel  and  guidance  of  a  teacher 
who  is  in  turn  under  the  powerful  influence  of 
an  intense  missionary  spirit  ?  In  these  times  of 
spiritual  drought,  when  the  army  of  God  is 
calling  for  recruits  for  the  Christian  ministry, 
when  our  missionary  societies,  the  Christian 
associations,  and  other  benevolent  organiza- 
tions are  seeking  for  workers,  why  should  we 
not  turn  to  our  Sunday  schools  for  the  enlist- 
ing of  boys  and  girls  who  in  a  few  years  will 
be  ready  to  fill  up  the  ranks  of  these  various 
professions? 

42 


opportunities  of  the  Sunday  School 

II.     Can    Missions    be    Taught    in    the     Sunday- 
School  ? 

If  missions  should  be  taught,  then,  under 
God's  guidance,  it  can  be  taught. 

1.  Objections,  and  How  to  Over  come 
Them.  Difficuhies  arise  in  every  school, 
which  must  first  be  overcome.  Lack  of  time 
and  facilities,  an  indifference  and  lack  of 
preparation  on  the  part  of  teachers  and  offi- 
cers, a  well-meant  but  ill-founded  prejudice 
against  introducing  anything  but  Bible  study 
into  the  Sunday  school — all  must  be  met  and 
overcome  before  the  work  can  be  successfully 
carried  on. 

The  time  for  it  must  be  determined  by  each 
school.  Supplemental  missionary  lessons  may 
be  taught  once  a  month,  or  once  a  Sunday  in 
connection  with  missionary  talks  and  prayers, 
which  should  never  be  counted  out  of  place  in 
any  Sunday-school  session.  The  teacher's 
preparation  should,  in  some  form  or  another, 
include  instruction  in  missions.  This  may  be 
done  either  in  the  regular  teachers'  meeting 
or  by  means  of  missionary  literature  wisely 
distributed,  or  perhaps,  best  of  all,  through 
the  mission  study  classes  organized  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Sunday  school  or  Young  Peo- 

43 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

pie's  society.  We  need  not  be  alarmed  at  the 
thought  of  supplementing  the  Bible  with  ex- 
traneous material.  The  Bible  itself  is  a  mis- 
sionary book,  and  anything  which  promotes 
Bible  instruction  or  throws  light  on  its  mean- 
ing must  be  welcomed  in  our  schools, 

2.  Missionary  Materials.  The  materials 
for  missionary  lessons  and  instruction  are 
rapidly  assuming  larger  proportions.  An  in- 
telligent missionary  committee  should  be  able 
to  select  appropriate  material  from  the  vast 
stores  of  literature  now  being  produced. 

One  school  (Summit  Street  United  Breth- 
ren, in  Dayton,  Ohio)  uses  material  prepared 
by  the  superintendent,  once  a  month,  consist- 
ing of  questions,  suggestions,  and  references 
to  literature  on  the  subject.  This  is  prepared 
and  handed  to  the  teachers  one  week  in 
advance,  so  that  they  may  assign  work  to  the 
scholars  for  discussion  on  Missionary  Day. 
This  material  is  usually  based  upon  the 
Young  People's  missionary  topic  for  the 
month,  though  other  topics  are  sometimes 
assigned. 

3.  Grading.  Whatever  be  the  method  or 
material,  one  thing  should  be  consistently 
observed,   if  possible — the  lessons   should   be 

44 


opportunities  of  the  Sunday  School 

so  graded  as  to  fit  the  varying  ages  and  con- 
ditions of  the  scholars.  Much  time  and  energy 
may  be  lost  by  trying  to  present  material  not 
thus  adapted. 

Grade  1.  In  brief,  missionary  curios, 
object  lessons  and  illustrations  may  be  used 
for  the  primary  grades. 

Grade  2.  Missionary  biography,  including 
books  like  "Uganda's  White  Man  of  Work," 
tales  of  adventures  and  heroism,  stories  of 
real  life  among  the  natives,  and  similar  mate- 
rial, appeal  to  Intermediates. 

Grade  3.  Problems  of  missions,  compara- 
tive religion,  principles  and  practices  of  the 
natives  in  their  worship  and  belief,  should  be 
the  material  for  adult  grades. 

4.  Methods.  As  a  brief  summary  of  the 
various  ways  in  which  this  work  may  be  car- 
ried on  in  connection  with  the  school,  I  make 
the  following  suggestions  as  to  time,  place, 
and  methods.  One  or  more  of  five  plans  of 
instruction  may  be  pursued: 

(1)  Supplemental  material  taught  once  a 
month  before  or  after  the  regular  lesson,  and 
an  entire  missionary  program  carried  out. 

(2)  An  entire  missionary  lesson  once  a 
quarter,  with  a  complete  program. 

45 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

(3)  Missionary  interpretation  and  illustra- 
tion with  every  Sunday-school  lesson. 

(4)  Talks  by  the  superintendent  or  others 
at  stated  times  on  the  subject  of  missions, 
with  missionary  program. 

(5)  Special  short-term  classes  taught  either 
in  or  out  of  the  school. 

5.  Giving.  Missionary  instruction  in  the 
Sunday  school  must  be  accompanied  by  giving 
to  missions.  Although  the  primary  aim  of 
missionary  education  is  not  to  secure  the  chil- 
dren's money,  yet  there  must  be  an  outlet  for 
the  interest  created.  To  arouse  the  child's 
sympathy  for  others  in  need  of  the  gospel, 
and  then  not  let  him  manifest  that  sympathy 
in  some  tangible  way,  would  not  only  be  use- 
less but  harmful  to  his  character.  We  are  to 
be  "doers  of  the  Word  and  not  hearers  only." 

In  every  Sunday  school  provision  should  be 
made  to  inculcate  in  the  scholars  the  sense  of 
stewardship.  The  child  must  early  learn  that 
what  he  calls  his  own  is  not  absolutely  his, 
but  that  he  simply  holds  it  in  trust.  As  a 
steward,  he  must  give  an  account  for  its 
proper  use.  The  failure  to  appreciate  this 
fact  is  the  cause  of  much  selfishness  in  the 
church.     It  is  also  the  reason  why  our  mis- 

4t; 


Opportunities  of  the  Sunday  School 

sionary  treasuries  lack  funds  and  the  progress 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  is  greatly  delayed. 

The  missionary  committee  of  the  Sunday 
school,  together  with  the  pastor,  should  plan 
for  systematic  and  proportionate  giving  to 
missions.  Some  schools  take  a  missionary 
offering  once  a  quarter.  Many  schools  devote 
the  offering  of  one  Sunday  a  month  to  mis- 
sions; others  give  two  offerings  a  month  for 
that  purpose,  while  still  others  provide  a  plan 
by  which  the  scholars  may  make  a  missionary 
offering  every  Sunday  in  addition  to  the  regu- 
lar school  offering. 

For  a  more  extended  study  of  missions  in 
the  Sunday  school,  reference  should  be  made 
to  the  splendid  book,  "A  Alanual  of  IMission- 
ary  Methods  for  Sunday-School  Workers,"  by 
George  H.  Trull;  also  Miss  Martha  Hixson's 
manual,  "Alissions  in  the  Sunday  School," 
and  Dr.  Joseph  Clark's  pamphlet,  'The  Smoke 
of  a  Thousand  Villages." 


47 


J.  Edgar  Knipp 

Young  PeopWs  Sec'y,  Foreign  Missionary  Society 


The  movement  for  the  organization  of  mis- 
sion study  classes  is  international  as  well  as 
interdenominational  in  its  scope.  The  cam- 
paign was  started  by  the  Student  Volunteer 
Movement  in  1894,  when  its  educational  de- 
partment was  organized.  At  first  the  study 
of  missions  was  confined  chiefly  to  the  col- 
leges and  theological  seminaries.  When,  in 
1902,  the  Young  People's  Missionary  Move- 
ment first  began  the  publication  of  its  text- 
books, there  was  but  little  mission  study  in  the 
churches. 

Since  then,  however,  the  growth  has  been 
almost  phenomenal.  During  the  first  year  of 
the  movement's  work,  about  17,000  persons 
were  enrolled  in  mission  study  classes ;  the 
second  year,  approximately  22,000;  the  third 
year,  about  50,000;  the  fourth  year,  a  little 
over  61,000;  the   fifth   year,   nearly   100,000; 

48 


The  Mission  Study  Class 

and  during  the  year  1907-08  there  was  a  re- 
markable increase  to  175,000  persons  enrolled 
in  mission  study  classes  in  the  churches. 

This  wonderful  movement  along  mission- 
study  lines  in  America  soon  attracted  atten- 
tion in  other  countries.  The  text-books  of  the 
Young  People's  Missionary  Movement  are 
now  being  used  by  Non-Conformist  and  Es- 
tablished Churches  in  England,  by  the  United 
Free  Churches  of  Scotland,  and  by  mission 
study  classes  in  New  Zealand,  AustraHa, 
South  Africa,  India,  China,  and  Japan. 

The  question  may  well  be  asked,  Why  has 
this  movement  spread  in  such  a  remarkable 
way?  Why  has  the  mission  study  idea  met 
with  such  universal  approval  and  response  on 
the  part  of  people  in  the  local  churches,  and 
why  do  twenty-one  mission  boards  in  Amer- 
ica each  employ  one  or  more  secretaries  to 
give  a  large  part  of  their  time  to  the  promo- 
tion of  the  mission  study  campaign? 

Some  Fundamental  Reasons 

1.  The  mission  study  class  affords  the  best 
means  of  inspiring  our  people  with  God's 
wonder-working  in  the  world  to-day.  To  take 
up  for  eight  consecutive  weeks  the  study  of  a 

49 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

great  country  like  China,  and  to  learn  about 
its  people,  their  customs  and  their  religions; 
to  understand  the  conditions  existing  in  1807, 
when  Robert  Morrison  began  his  work,  and 
at  present,  when  there  are  nearly  200,000 
Protestant  Christians ;  to  see  some  typical 
missionaries  at  work  preaching  the  gospel, 
healing  the  sick,  translating  the  Scriptures, 
educating  the  young,  and  training  the  native 
workers;  to  investigate  the  problems  that 
must  be  solved  in  the  evangelization  of  a 
country  containing  a  population  equal  to  that 
of  North  America,  South  America,  Africa, 
Australia,  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Spain; 
to  see  how  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  trans- 
forming the  lives  of  the  individual  ''heathen 
Chinee,"  and  at  the  same  time  is  giving  the 
whole  country  a  new  idea  of  God  and  an  en- 
tirely new  idea  of  man — all  this  produces  a 
deep  and  lasting  impression  of  the  fact  that 
God  lives  to-day  and  is  working  mightily. 

It  is  true  that  information  concerning 
Christian  work  abroad  may  be  imparted 
through  missionary  meetings,  through  the 
preaching  of  sermons,  through  the  distribu- 
tion of  tracts  and  the  circulation  of  books. 
These  methods  each  have  their  proper  place; 

50 


The  Mission  Study  Class 

but  to  study  a  subject  for  one's  self,  then  to 
meet  with  ten  or  twelve  others  and  discuss  it, 
means  much  more  than  when  one  simply 
listens  to  another  or  reads  alone.  By  contin- 
uing the  study  and  discussion  for  eight  or 
nine  weeks,  by  reviewing  the  most  important 
points,  by  talking  over  things  not  clearly 
understood,  by  comparing  impressions  of  the 
facts  presented  in  the  text-book,  and  by  sup- 
plementing those  facts  with  material  from 
outside  sources,  each  member  of  the  class 
finishes  the  course  a  much  wiser  Christian, 
and  one  whose  heart  has  been  inspired  with 
new  faith  in  God  and  with  new  love  for  man- 
kind and  for  the  living  and  working  Christ 
who  died  to  save  all. 

2.  Through  the  study  of  missions  an  in- 
telligent, enthusiastic^  abiding  interest  in  the 
evangelisation  of  the  world  is  developed. 
Knowledge  must  precede  interest.  One  natu- 
rally will  not  devote  much  time,  thought,  or 
money  to  a  cause  of  which  he  knows  little  or 
nothing.  Most  of  the  indifference  and  preju- 
dice towards  the  work  of  foreign  missions  is 
the  result  of  ignorance.  The  majority  of 
Christians  do  not  know  the  needs  of  the 
heathen  world,  the  vast  extent  of  the  lands 

51 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

to  be  evangelized,  the  wonderful  changes 
wrought  by  the  gospel  of  Christ  among  even 
the  most  degraded  people.  Therefore,  the 
greatest  enterprise  in  the  world — that  of 
establishing  the  kingdom  of  God  throughout 
the  earth — lacks  adequate  support. 

Before  William  Carey  went  to  India  as  a 
missionary,  his  motto  was :  *'My  business  is 
to  preach  the  gospel.  I  cobble  shoes  to  pay 
expenses."  His  burning  enthusiasm  for  the 
coming  of  the  kingdom  in  all  the  earth  was 
based  upon  definite  knowledge  of  the  needs. 
Through  Cook's  account  of  his  travels  in  the 
East  he  had  learned  the  real  conditions,  and 
notwithstanding  strong  opposition  on  the  part 
of  ministers,  as  well  as  laymen,  he  continued 
to  press  the  claims  of  the  heathen  world  until 
a  missionary  society  was  organized  and  he 
himself  was  sent  out  as  one  of  its  first  repre- 
sentatives. 

The  time  is  here  when  every  Christian  must 
be  possessed  by  Carey's  spirit.  Whether  we 
go  abroad  or  remain  at  home,  the  same  burn- 
ing zeal  must  continually  fill  our  hearts.  This 
enthusiasm,  to  be  permanent  and  abiding, 
must  be  based  upon  definite  knowledge; 
otherwise  it  will  be  mere  fanaticism,  or  it  may 

52 


The  Mission  Study  Class 

be  "a.  passing  spasm  of  meaningless  emotion." 
Thus  we  see  the  absolute  necessity  of  definite, 
thorough  knowledge  concerning  this  work 
and  our  relation  to  it. 

That  the  mission  study  class  produces  such 
enthusiastic  interest  has  been  proven  again 
and  again.  Persons  who  before  gave  one  dol- 
lar annually  for  missions  have  increased  their 
contributions  to  twenty  and  forty  dollars  per 
year.  Many  others,  as  a  result  of  their  study, 
have  decided  to  give  a  tenth  of  their  income. 
Another  direct  result  of  mission  study  classes 
is  the  many  hundreds  of  young  people  who 
have  offered  themselves  to  go  as  missionaries 
to  foreign  fields.  Besides  increased  giving 
and  a  growing  number  of  missionary  candi- 
dates, many  persons  who  before  were  indif- 
ferent are  now  using,  as  a  result  of  their 
study,  the  greatest  missionary  force  God  has 
entrusted  to  his  people — intercessory  prayer. 
Even  though  the  educational  campaign  did 
not  secure  a  single  missionary  for  the  field, 
and  even  though  it  did  not  result  in  increased 
giving,  which  things  are  inconceivable,  it 
would  none  the  less  be  indispensable  as  a 
means  of  securing  more  intelligent  prayer  for 
the  world's  evangelization. 

53 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

3.  Through  the  mission  study  class,  mis- 
sionary leaders  may  he  provided  for  the  local 
church.  The  task  of  evangelizing  the  world 
is  a  stupendous  one.  God  is  commanding  not 
individual  men  and  women  merely,  he  is  com- 
manding the  whole  church  to  undertake  the 
work.  Our  aim,  therefore,  must  be  to  enlist 
every  member,  old  and  young,  in  making 
Jesus  Christ  known  and  loved  throughout  the 
world. 

The  pastor  cannot  do  this  alone,  however 
good  may  be  his  plans.  Without  helpers  he 
will  be  like  Moses — wearing  himself  out  try- 
ing to  administer  justice  for  the  Israelites. 
Just  as  he  needed  to  appoint  able  men  to  assist 
him,  so  in  the  local  church  there  must  be  mis- 
sionary leaders  co-operating  with  the  pastor 
in  each  department.  These  persons  must 
have  clear,  deep  convictions  on  the  subject  of 
world-wide  missions,  they  must  be  prepared 
to  advocate  the  cause,  they  must  be  ready  to 
lead  mission  study  classes  and  to  interest 
others  in  every  possible  way.  To  this  end 
there  should  be  an  efficient  mission  study  class 
especially  for  them.  No  other  thing  will  help 
the  pastor  more  in  carrying  out  a  large  and 
growing  missionary  policy. 

54 


The  Mission  Study  Class 

In  his  article  on  "The  Missionary  Oppor- 
tunity of  the  Sunday  School,"  Professor  Clip- 
pinger  clearly  shows  the  absolute  necessity  for 
introducing  missionary  instruction  in  that 
department.  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  doing  this,  however,  is  the  lack 
of  knowledge  and  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of 
the  teachers.  "It  is  impossible  to  transmit  any 
heat  through  non-conductors."  The  Sunday- 
school  teachers  are  the  real  key  to  the  situa- 
tion. If  the  teachers  are  full  of  missionary 
spirit,  the  regular  lessons  will  offer  abundant 
opportunity  for  effective  work. 

A  similar  difficulty  is  met  with  in  the 
Junior  and  Young  People's  societies.  Unless 
their  leaders  have  caught  the  world  vision 
and  know  what  mission  work  really  is,  they 
are  not  able  to  make  the  monthly  missionary 
meetings  interesting  or  attractive. 

The  idea  is  growing  that  every  member  of 
every  church  in  Christendom  ought  to  know 
not  only  why  he  is  a  member  of  the  church  of 
Jesus  Christ  at  all,  but  what  he  is  called  upon 
to  do  for  the  salvation  of  the  whole  world. 
To  accomplish  this  result  and  to  raise  up  the 
needed  leaders,  the  mission  study  class  is  an 
indispensable  agency. 

55 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

In  organizing  the  first  class  in  a  church,  the 
aim  should  be  to  enroll  persons  who  are  in  a 
position  to  influence  its  missionary  life  and 
activity.  Secure  as  members  the  Sunday- 
school  teachers,  the  Junior  and  Sunday-school 
superintendents,  the  members  of  the  mission- 
ary committee  and  of  the  official  board.  In  a 
sense  let  it  be  a  class  of  leaders  and  workers, 
although  its  membership  need  not  be  limited 
exclusively  to  such  persons.  If  Christ  spent 
a  large  part  of  his  three  years'  public  ministry 
in  training  the  twelve  apostles,  can  the  busy 
pastor  do  better  than  give  much  time  and 
thought  to  the  training  of  those  through 
whom  his  whole  congregation  will  get  a  vision 
of  the  world's  needs  and  fall  into  line  with 
Christ's  world  plan?  The  results  produced  by 
such  training  will  well  repay  for  all  the  time 
and  effort  devoted  to  that  purpose. 


56 


^^t  Conterence  jforeiffn  ^i00ionatv 
Committee  an  &0mtial  Hinfe 

Rev.  S.  F.  Daugherty,  A.M.,  Westerville,  Ohio 


The  Conference  Foreign  Missionary  Com- 
mittee holds  a  unique  place  in  making  effec- 
tive the  organization  of  our  whole  Church  for 
world-wide  missions.  It  serves  as  a  connect- 
ing link  between  the  General  Society  and  the 
pastor  or  missionary  committee  in  the  local 
church.  Until  our  last  General  Conference, 
when  the  home  and  foreign  missionary  work 
was  separated,  and  each  was  made  a  distinct 
department,  we  were  without  such  a  commit- 
tee. It  is,  therefore,  a  comparatively  new 
piece  of  Church  machinery,  and  many  of  us 
have  not  yet  clearly  apprehended  what  its 
functions  are. 

In  Article  12,  page  111  of  our  Church  Dis- 
cipline, we  have  this  statement  with  reference 
to  the  organization  and  object  of  this  com- 
mittee : 

"Each  annual  conference  shall  organize  a 
branch  society  auxiliary  to  the  Foreign  Mis- 

67 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

sionary  Society,  consisting  of  three  members, 
naming  one  as  its  secretary  who  shall  assist 
the  General  Secretary  in  developing  interest 
in  foreign  missions,  and  securing  gifts  for  the 
Society." 

Here,  in  a  general  way,  is  outlined  the  work 
of  this  committee.  The  field  for  its  activity 
includes  the  pastors,  and  all  of  the  members 
of  the  local  churches  in  a  conference.  What 
a  glorious  opportunity,  and  how  inspiring  the 
work  in  which  this  committee  is  to  be  en- 
gaged ! 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
committee  is  to  be  a  helper  and  worker  to- 
gether with  the  General  Board,  and  with  the 
pastors  of  the  local  churches,  for  the  promo- 
tion of  foreign  missions,  the  supreme  aim  of 
which  is  the  conquest  of  the  world  for  Christ. 

This  is  Work  for  Every  Member 

Down  through  the  centuries  comes  ringing 
the  command  of  our  risen  Lord,  "Go  ye  into 
all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
whole  creation."  It  is  a  message  from  the 
King  Eternal,  and  it  covers  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  beneath  the  scepter  of  the 
Son  of  God. 


The  Conference  Committee 

General  Sherman  said  that  the  commanders 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  failed  because 
they  did  not  get  into  action  more  than  three- 
fourths  of  their  men,  and  that  the  com- 
manders of  the  western  armies  succeeded  be- 
cause they  got  into  action  nine-tenths,  and,  in 
some  cases,  all  of  their  soldiers. 

How  can  the  church  of  God  expect  to  con- 
quer the  world  when  only  about  one-third  of 
its  members  are  thoroughly  alive  to  the  work 
of  foreign  missions? 

At  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  in  a  critical  mo- 
ment when  victory  and  defeat  rested  in  the 
balance,  the  Duke  of  Wellington  sent  this 
command,  "Advance  all  along  the  line,"  and 
because  that  order  was  promptly  obeyed,  the 
victory  was  won.  When  the  church  of  the 
living  God  shall  advance,  as  one  man,  all 
along  the  line,  victory  is  assured  in  the  great 
conflict  of  conquering  the  world  for  Christ. 

"The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war, 
A  kingly  crown  to  gain ; 
His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar, 
Who  follows  in  his  train?" 

So  far  as  our  Church,  our  division  of  the 
army   of    Christ   is   concerned,    we   shall   not 

59 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

rest    satisfied    until   every  man,  woman,  and 
child  is  enlisted  in  this  war.     Shall  we? 

The  Conference  Foreign  Missionary  Com- 
mittee will  become  a  vital  factor  in  propor- 
tion as  it  succeeds  in  enlisting  every  pastor, 
and  through  him  every  member  of  each  local 
church,  in  hearty  co-operation  in  this  work. 
Only  when  this  is  accomplished  will  the  entire 
organization  of  our  Church  be  effective  in  the 
conflict. 

Why  Promote  Foreign  Missions? 

But  why  should  the  whole  Church  be  en- 
gaged in  conquering  the  whole  world  for 
Christ?  To  many  this  would  seem  a  super- 
fluous question.  But  when  we  recall  that 
there  are  yet  some  ministers  and  laymen  who 
do  not  have  the  world-vision,  and  conse- 
quently are  indifferent,  and  in  some  instances 
antagonistic  to  the  foreign  missionary  enter- 
prise, you  will  at  least  permit  the  question, 
and  will  be  patient  while  I  recount  a  number 
of  reasons  for  promoting  this  work: 

1.  Because  Christ  authorized  and  com- 
manded it.  He  said :  "All  authority  hath  been 
given  unto  me.  .  .  .  Go  ye,  therefore,  and 
make  disciples  of  all  the  nations."     "As  thou 

GO 


The  Conference  Committee 

hast  sent  me  into  the  world,  so  also  have  I 
sent  them  into  the  world."  This,  in  itself, 
should  be  a  sufficient  reason. 

2.  There  are  eight  hundred  million  human 
beings  now  without  the  light  of  the  gospel, 
who  have  as  good  a  right  to  the  best  there  is 
in  life  as  we  have.  They  are  perishing  with- 
out the  Bread  of  Life.  And  the  church  of 
Christ  is  his  only  agent  in  supplying  them 
with  his  gospel. 

3.  Our  prosperity  at  home  depends  upon 
it.  The  life  and  power  of  the  church  at  home 
depends  upon  its  loyalty  to  the  world-wide 
purpose  of  the  mission  of  Jesus  Christ.  Jacob 
Riis,  who  has  done  such  splendid  home-mis- 
sion work  in  Greater  New  York  City,  de- 
clares:  'T  have  learned  what  others  learned 
before  me,  that  for  every  dollar  you  give 
away  to  convert  the  heathen  abroad,  God 
gives  you  ten  dollars'  worth  of  purpose  to 
deal  with  your  heathen  at  home." 

Organization  Necessary 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that  if  the  matter  of 
foreign  missions  is  to  be  realized  in  the  best 
and  quickest  way,  with  the  least  expenditure 
of  time,  effort,  and  money,  that  organization 

61 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

is  necessary.  Marion  Lawrance  says :  **Or- 
ganization  is  system;  the  lack  of  it  is  confu- 
sion. The  difference  between  a  mob  and  a 
trained  army  is  simply  organization." 

The  Foreign  Missionary  Society's  recog- 
nized agencies  for  bringing  about  this  result 
are: 

1.  The  General  Board  and  Executive 
Committee,  headed  by  the  General  and  Edu- 
cational Secretaries  who  are  our  specialists 
in  this  work. 

2.  The  Conference  Committee. 

3.  The  pastor  and  the  committee  in  the 
local  church. 

Each  of  these  agencies  has  its  part  to  per- 
form in  making  effective  the  organization  of 
our  whole  Church.  The  General  Board  plans 
the  campaign,  selects  the  fields,  appoints  the 
missionaries,  supplies  the  equipment  and 
agencies  on  the  foreign  fields,  reports  to  the 
home  churches  the  needs  of  the  work,  and  en- 
deavors to  enlist  all  in  supplying  these  needs ; 
sends  out  helpful  tracts  and  other  literature, 
and  has  the  general  direction  of  the  adminis- 
trative work.  The  pastor  and  local  committee 
in  each  church  hold  the  key,  very  largely,  to 
the   situation.     If  the  pastor  is  a  missionary 

62 


The  Conference  Committee 

man  he  will  soon  develop  a  good  local  com- 
mittee, and  his  church  will  become,  ere  long, 
a  missionary  force.  Between  the  pastor  and 
his  local  committee  and  the  General  Board 
stands  the  conference  committee,  which  shares 
in  the  responsibility  of  carrying  on  the  work. 
There  is  much  that  this  committee  can,  and 
ought  to  do,  if  it  is  alive  to  its  opportunity. 

In  effecting  the  organization  of  the  commit- 
tee, great  care  should  be  exercised  by  the 
conference  in  selecting  persons  having  the 
following  qualifications :  ( 1 )  They  should 
have  an  active  interest  in  foreign  missions. 
(2)  They  should  be  students  of  missions.  The 
importance  of  this  cannot  be  over-emphasized. 
If  practicable,  there  should  be  lay  representa- 
tion. (3)  They  should  be  broad-minded, 
large-hearted,  liberal-handed  Christians — men 
of  statesmanlike  qualities,  able  to  take  in  a 
situation  and  wrestle  with  it  to  a  finish. 

Preparation  for  Their  Work 

In  order  to  successfully  grapple  with  their 
great  work,  it  is  very  important  that  the  mem- 
bers of  this  committee  secure  special  prepara- 
tion.    Among  the  numerous  ways   by  which 

63 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

this  may  be  obtained,   I  mention  the  follow- 
ing: 

1.  Attendance  at  one  of  the  summer  mis- 
sionary conferences. 

2.  A  thorough  study  of  the  new  books, 
"The  Why  and  How  of  Foreign  Missions," 
"Our  Own  Foreign  Missionary  Enterprise," 
and  especially  all  the  chapters  of  the  book  in 
which  this  article  is  found. 

3.  Studying  the  aims  and  methods  of  local 
churches  that  have  succeeded  in  our  own  and 
in  other  denominations. 

4.  Studying  the  conditions  in  your  own 
conference,  the  difficulties  and  the  encour- 
aging features. 

5.  By  reading  widely  missionary  biography 
and  the  best  of  the  new  books  that  are  appear- 
ing on  missions,  as  well  as  the  current  mis- 
sionary literature  of  our  own  denomination. 

6.  Above  all,  by  studying  the  resurrection 
messages  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  through  ear- 
nest, believing  prayer. 

Some  Things  the  Committee  Should  Do 

1.  Each  member  of  the  committee  should 
seek  to  make  his  own  church  a  missionary 
power.    A  church  has  made  a  good  beginning 

64 


The  Conference  Committee 

when  its  members,  through  the  study  of  the 
Bible,  prayer,  and  the  study  of  missions,  have 
become  thoroughly  imbued  with  a  passion  to 
carry  the  gospel  to  others.  The  awakening  of 
such  an  impulse  is  not  an  end,  but  the  first 
firm  step  toward  the  desired  goal.  A  mission- 
ary impression  must  be  followed  by  an  ade- 
quate expression.  The  awakened  interest 
must  be  crystallized  into  definite  purposes, 
and  expressed  in  habits  of  action,  gifts,  and 
prayer,  or  it  is  useless.  Example  is  what 
tells,  and  the  members  of  the  committee 
should  see  to  it  that  their  church  sets  a  good 
example. 

2.  The  committee  should  aim  to  have 
every  charge  in  the  conference  receive  the 
help  that  comes  from  a  systematic  study  of 
missions.  It  is  not  an  unreasonable  aim  to 
say  that  every  local  church  should  have  the 
inspiration  and  broadening  outlook  that  will 
come  from  the  study  of  the  new  book,  "Our 
Foreign  Missionary  Enterprise,"  this  year. 
The  committee  should  secure  the  co-operation 
of  every  pastor,  with  a  view  to  carrying  out 
this  aim. 

3.  The  promotion  of  Christian  steward- 
ship will  be  an  important  phase  of  the  work 

65 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

of  the  committee.  Pastors  should  be  induced 
to  preach  on  this  subject  and  circulate  the 
excellent  tracts  now  available.  The  commit- 
tee should  also  seek  to  encourage  the  intro- 
duction of  a  weekly,  or  at  least  monthly  sys- 
tem of  offerings  for  the  benevolences  of  the 
Church,  as  well  as  for  the  local  expenses. 
This  is  a  work  of  great  importance  just  nozv. 

4.  The  committee  should  keep  before  the 
pastors  of  the  conference  the  aims  and  plans 
of  the  General  Board,  and  by  districting  the 
conference  each  member  of  the  committee 
might  assist  the  pastors  in  a  certain  district 
to  hold  local  missionary  rallies,  ajtd  to  carry 
out  successfully  well-laid  plans.  Doubtless 
the  committee  cannot  do  a  better  thing  than 
to  plan  thoroughly  for  missionary  institutes 
that  shall  enlist  the  pastors  and  the  laymen  of 
the  entire  conference. 

Before  preparing  this  article,  I  wrote  to  a 
number  of  committee  secretaries,  asking  them 
to  give  me  the  plans  and  methods  used  in 
their  conference.  Here  are  some  of  the  re- 
plies : 

( 1 )  A  personal  letter  to  all  the  pastors  and 
many  leading  laymen,  defining  our  aims  and 


The  Conference  Committee 

purposes   at  the  beginning  of  the   year,   has 
been  found  very  helpful. 

(2)  The  use  of  the  columns  of  the  confer- 
ence paper  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
promoting  foreign  missions. 

(3)  The  visit  of  many  churches  by  the  sec- 
retary of  the  committee. 

(4)  Arranging  tours  for  a  returned  mis- 
sionary and  the  General  Secretary. 

(5)  Making  prominent  the  subject  of  mis- 
sions on  the  conference  and  convention  pro- 
grams. 

The  universal  testimony  of  all  who  have 
tried  the  institute  plan  is  that  this  is  one  of 
the  most  important  and  effective  means  for 
promoting  our  zvork. 

The  presiding  elder,  or  conference  superin- 
tendent, is  an  ex-officio  member  of  this  com- 
mittee, and  he  is  in  a  position  to  promote  this 
interest  as  no  other  man  in  the  conference. 
With  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  presiding 
elder,  pastors,  and  the  committees  on  mis- 
sions in  the  local  churches,  every  foreign  mis- 
sionary committee  can  do  a  work  of  vast  im- 
portance for  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of 
God. 


67 


jan  (^ttititnt  9^i00ionatv  Commitoe 
in  tit  Eocal  Cfiurcj) 

Rev.  L.  Walter  Lutz,  Dallastown,  Pa. 


The  whole  church  in  action  in  the  conquest 
of  the  whole  world  for  Christ,  and  every  mem- 
ber obeying  the  Master's  last  command,  is  the 
only  worthy  ideal  for  any  local  church.  To 
create  a  missionary  atmosphere  that  will  lead 
the  local  church  to  the  realization  of  this  ideal, 
large  responsibility  logically  falls  upon  the 
pastor.  However,  the  pastor  must  not  be  the 
only  missionary  enthusiast,  but  rather  the 
leader  and  director  of  the  missionary  interest 
and  activity  of  the  congregation. 

A  live  general  missionary  committee  is  of 
supreme  importance  in  every  congregation. 
Provision  for  such  a  committee  is  made  in  our 
Church  Discipline,  as  follows :  ''A  missionary 
committee  may  be  organized  in  any  local 
church  to  interest  and  enlist  the  entire  mem- 
bership of  the  local  church  in  the  work  of 
both  home  and  foreign  missions,  and  to  devise 
such  methods  and  measures  as  shall  develop 
the  church  into  a  strong  missionary  agency." 

68 


The  Local  Church  Committee 

A  Significant  Committee 

This  committee  is  the  council  of  war  in  the 
local  church  for  the  extension  of  the  kingdom. 
The  necessity  for  such  a  committee  is  very 
apparent  when  we  consider  the  vast  amount 
of  work  that  is  to  be  done  in  every  congrega- 
tion to  awaken,  instruct,  train,  and  put  to 
service  every  Christian  for  the  largest  exten- 
sion of  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord. 

Well  has  it  been  said,  "The  greatest  prob- 
lem which  confronts  us  to-day  is  that  of  dis- 
tributing the  missionary  responsibility  which 
has  become  congested  in  official  centers."  It 
is  the  business  of  this  committee  in  each  local 
church  to  lift  up  and  set  forth,  in  unmistakable 
clearness  and  power,  the  great  commission  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  as  the  all-authoritative  and 
not  obsolete  marching  orders  for  all  God's 
people.  Every  local  church  and  every  indi- 
vidual believer  in  it  should  stand  for  the 
immediate  carrying  out  of  these  orders.  The 
church  is  not  a  hospital,  but  an  army  equipped 
for  world-wide  conquest;  not  a  field,  but  a 
force;  and  the  only  thing  that  will  save  our 
young  men  and  young  women  from  the  en- 
croachments of  this  materialistic  age  is  to  give 
them  the  greater  joy  and  enthusiasm  of  having 

G9 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

a  large  share  in  the  work  of  first  importance — 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  every  creature. 
Speaking  of  the  importance  of  such  a  com- 
mittee, Mr.  John  R.  Mott  writes:  "It  is  de- 
sirable and  necessary  that  there  should  be  a 
church  missionary  committee  to  insure  unity, 
harmony,  and  efficiency  in  conducting  a  varied 
and  extensive  educational  campaign.  Let  the 
pastor  regard  this  group  of  workers  as  his 
missionary  staff,  and  by  most  intimate  asso- 
ciation with  them  in  all  their  plans  and  activ- 
ities, seek  to  communicate  to  them  his  own 
vision  and  spirit,  as  well  as  his  deepest  con- 
victions as  to  how  the  church  may  be  made  a 
mighty  factor  in  the  conquest  of  the  world  for 
Jesus  Christ." 

Membership  of  the  Committee 

Only  those  who  are  at  heart  interested  in 
the  work,  and  who  command  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  others,  who  are  energetic,  re- 
sourceful, tactful,  persevering,  and,  above  all, 
prayerful,  should  be  appointed  on  this  impor- 
tant committee.  The  committee  should  be 
composed  of  from  five  to  seven  or  nine  per- 
sons, who  represent,  if  possible,  all  the  depart- 
ments of  the  church's  activities,  such  as  the 

70 


The  Local  Church  Committee 

Sunday  school,  the  Young  People's  Society, 
the  Junior  Society,  the  Woman's  Missionary 
Association,  and,  in  addition,  the  leader  of  the 
mission  study  class  work,  the  missionary 
superintendent  in  the  Sunday  school,  a  live 
class  leader,  and  the  person  who  should  super- 
intend the  system  of  benevolences  for  the 
church,  the  pastor  being  chairman  of  this 
committee. 

The  Work  to  be  Done 

1.  The  committee  itself  must  he  instructed 
and  trained.  The  members  of  this  committee 
stand  between  the  pastor  and  the  membership 
at  large,  and  each  one  is  to  become  a  specialist 
in  co-operating  with  the  pastor  to  awaken  and 
develop  the  missionary  life  of  some  depart- 
ment of  the  church.  The  members  of  the 
committee,  therefore,  must  themselves  study 
thoroughly  the  great  work  of  missions,  must 
know  the  world's  needs,  and  the  best  methods 
by  which  their  own  church  may  supply  those 
needs. 

The  persons  on  this  committee  must  be  able, 
also,  to  communicate  their  enthusiasm  to 
others  and  set  others  to  work  likewise.  Not 
all  the  members  will  be  recognized  as  trained 

71 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

leaders  at  the  beginning.  The  best  persons 
available  should  be  chosen,  and  if  there  is  a 
willing  mind  and  heart,  their  growth  and 
efficiency  will  manifest  themselves  to  all  as  the 
months  go  by. 

2.  This  committee  should  conduct  a  great 
missionary  educational  campaign  for  the  en- 
tire church.  In  some  local  churches  not  one 
member  in  five  has  ever  read  through  one 
missionary  book.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  such 
persons  are  not  interested,  and  that  some  of 
them  are  even  prejudiced  against  this  work? 
We  cannot  reap  without  sowing;  we  cannot 
be  interested  without  knowing. 

One  of  the  greatest  needs  of  the  Christian 
church  is  that  more  intensive  work  be  done  in 
behalf  of  those  who  are  professed  Christians. 
They  need  instruction  in  the  Word  of  God 
and  in  the  great  work  God  is  now  doing  in  all 
parts  of  the  world.  We  suggest  three  ways 
by  which  the  committee  may  help  forward 
this  educational  campaign : 

(a)  By  planning  to  organize  and  conduct 
from  one  to  five  or  more  mission  study  classes 
each  year,  enrolling,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
entire  membership  of  the  local  church  in  the 
study  of  the  splendid  missionary  books  now 

72 


The  Local  Church  Committee 

available.  Wonderful  faith  and  enthusiasm 
can  be  developed  in  any  local  church  if  this 
mission  study  work  be  conducted  in  a  thor- 
ough and  persevering  manner. 

(b)  In  addition  to  this  general  mission 
study  v^^ork,  the  committee  should  encourage 
the  study  of  missions  in  the  Sunday  school 
and  in  the  Junior  and  Young  People's  Society. 
Such  books  as  "A  Manual  of  Missionary 
Methods  for  Sunday-School  Workers,"  by 
Mr.  George  H.  Trull,  published  by  the  Sun- 
day-School Times  Company,  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  member 
of  this  committee,  and  be  studied  especially 
by  the  teachers  of  the  Sunday  school  and 
Junior  v^orkers. 

Missionary  biographies,  telling  the  story  of 
the  life  and  work  of  both  home  and  foreign 
missionaries  that  are  of  thrilling  interest, 
should  be  placed  in  every  Sunday-school 
library ;  likewise  such  series  of  books  as  "The 
Juvenile  Missionary  Library,"  so  that  all  the 
members  of  the  church  and  Sunday  school  can 
have  their  faith  increased  and  their  spiritual 
life  quickened  by  the  study  of  these  books, 
without  much  outlay  of  money. 

(c)  It  will   be  an   excellent   thing  to  plan 

73 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

well  for  an  occasional  missionary  exercise  for 
the  entire  congregation.  Let  the  whole  pro- 
gram be  well  thought  out  and  arranged  for  in 
such  a  thorough  way  as  to  make  a  profound 
impression  upon  all  who  witness  it.  Much 
prayer  should  be  offered  for,  and  during  such 
a  meeting.  The  entire  exercise  should  be  con- 
ducted in  the  spirit  of  Christian  missions. 
The  service  should  be  opened  promptly  and 
carried  forward  with  much  enthusiasm.  It 
would  be  an  excellent  thing  for  a  mission 
study  class  to  conclude  its  work  by  reporting 
the  results  of  its  study  at  such  a  public 
gathering. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  here  men- 
tioned, the  committee  should  see  to  it  that  the 
missionary  magazines  and  church  papers  are 
well  circulated  in  the  congregation,  and  that 
the  excellent  tracts  and  booklets  that  are  being 
published  on  these  live  topics  are  well  circu- 
lated and  read  by  the  membership  at  large. 

Returned  missionaries  should  be  secured  to 
address  the  congregation  whenever  possible, 
and  the  pastor  should  be  encouraged  not  only 
to  preach  an  occasional  missionary  sermon, 
but  to  show  forth  the  spirit  of  missions  in 
every    sermon,    and    illustrate    frequently   his 

74 


The  Local  Church  Committee 

discourses  with  the  story  of  what  Christ  is 
now  doing  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  Every 
church  that  carries  forward  such  a  campaign 
of  missionary  education  through  a  series  of 
years  with  increasing  faith  and  efficiency  will 
become  a  live  missionary  agency  and  a  great 
power  for  God. 

3.  The  general  missionary  committee,  in 
counsel  with  the  pastor,  should  determine  the 
church's  budget  for  benevolences,  including 
home  and  foreign  missions,  and  should  assist 
in  working  out  a  system  of  weekly,  monthly, 
or  at  least  quarterly  offerings  to  meet  the 
needs  of  this  budget.  This  system  of  offer- 
ings and  the  budget  should  be  presented  to 
the  congregation  for  the  approval  and  co- 
operation of  all  the  members. 

The  committee,  having  studied  the  needs  of 
the  fields  and  the  methods  to  be  introduced, 
can  do  much  to  clear  the  atmosphere  of  the 
local  church  for  the  complete  co-operation  of 
every  member  to  reach  the  largest  possible 
aims  in  the  extension  of  the  kingdom.  One 
member  of  the  committee  might  be  charged 
with  the  special  responsibility  of  Christian 
stewardship.  Tracts  and  booklets  on  this  im- 
portant   subject    should    be    circulated    and 

75 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

studied,  and  sermons  should  be  preached  on 
the  Bible  standard  of  giving. 

4,  The  committee  as  a  whole  should  he  a 
hand  of  earnest  intercessors  with  God  in  he- 
half  of  missions;  and  not  only  so,  but  should 
seek  to  introduce  in  the  church  a  missionary 
prayer-meeting  once  a  month.  Each  family 
of  the  congregation  should  be  led  to  see  the 
privilege  of  daily,  fervent  prayer  in  behalf  of 
not  only  their  own  pastor  and  the  local 
church,  but  also  in  behalf  of  our  home  and 
foreign  missionaries,  and  the  native  pastors 
and  Christians  in  our  foreign  fields.  Like- 
wise, definite  prayer  should  be  made  for  God's 
guidance  and  blessing  to  be  upon  the  general 
secretaries,  and  the  executive  committees  and 
directors  of  our  missionary  societies. 

All  that  has  been  mentioned  here  is  but  sug- 
gestive of  the  variety  and  importance  of  the 
work  of  this  committee.  Every  wise  pastor 
will  find  it  to  be  of  immense  advantage  to 
have  a  band  of  coworkers  similar  to  that  here 
indicated.  One  pastor  who  has  had  wide  expe- 
rience says:  "A  committee  of  this  kind  un- 
consciously develops  the  idea  in  a  church  that 
missions  are  not  merely  a  side  issue,  but  the 
fundamental  aim  of  the  church."     The  testi- 

7G 


The  Local  Church  Committee 

mony  from  other  churches  indicates  that 
where  this  plan  is  thoroughly  worked,  the 
offerings  to  missions  have  increased  several 
hundred  per  cent.,  and  the  gifts  to  the  local 
work  have  also  increased. 

Such  a  plan  as  is  here  suggested  will  lead 
to  the  following  results : 

(1)  A  larger  and  more  enthusiastic  co- 
operation of  the  whole  congregation  with  the 
pastor  in  all  the  work  of  the  church. 

(2)  The  realization  by  the  local  church  of 
its  responsibility  to  assume  and  plan  for  the 
work  of  missions,  without  being  constantly 
urged  by  the  pastor  to  do  so.  Every  local 
church  ought  to  be  so  instructed  and  trained 
that  it  will  take  the  initiative  itself  in  planning 
for  the  instruction  of  its  members  in  missions, 
and  likewise  in  the  securing  of  adequate  offer- 
ings for  this  work.  In  a  local  church  where 
this  method  has  been  in  operation,  when  there 
was  a  change  of  pastors,  recently,  the  new 
minister  found  that  the  congregation,  during 
the  month's  interval  before  he  took  up  the 
work,  had  carried  forward  the  missionary  and 
other  departments  of  the  work  of  the  church 
just  as  usual,  and  they  had  in   the  treasury 

77 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

seventy-seven  dollars  for  missions  to  begin  the 
work  of  the  new  year. 

Why  should  not  every  congregation  in  the 
land  be  thus  trained  to  go  forward  with  all 
the  essential  departments  of  the  church  work, 
whether  the  pastor  is  on  the  ground  or  not? 
Is  it  not  high  time  for  the  laymen  to  awaken 
to  their  rightful  place  and  co-operate  with  the 
pastor  in  organizing  each  local  church  as  an 
agency  for  the  evangelization  of  the  whole 
world?  In  no  other  way  can  the  membership 
of  our  churches  be  brought  into  that  enlarged, 
healthy,  vigorous  life  that  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  keep  them  from  being  overcome  with 
the  incoming  tide  of  commercialism  and 
worldliness  now  everywhere  recognized. 

Shall  not  the  laymen  assume  at  once  larger 
responsibility  for  the  development  of  our  home 
churches?  Is  not  this  the  time  for  a  great 
advance  all  along  the  line,  until  the  whole 
church  of  Christ  shall  move  forward  as  a 
mighty  phalanx  to  claim  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world  for  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ? 


78 


2Di0trict  a  ^orld  JForce? 

Rev.  C.  W.  Kurtz 

Presiding  Elder,  Miami  Conference 


The  task  set  before  the  church  of  Christ  is 
to  carry  the  gospel  to  all  nations.  All  the 
ends  of  the  earth  are  included,  and  no  one  is 
excluded.  What  Christ  is  to  you  and  me  in 
all  his  love  and  power,  and  what  he  will  be  to 
us  in  all  his  glory,  that  he  desires  to  be,  and 
by  the  grace  of  God  he  is  intended  to  be,  to 
every  man.  Jesus  said,  "All  power  is  given 
unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth ;  go  ye  there- 
fore and  teach  all  nations."  According  to  this 
commission,  the  essential  spirit  of  Christianity 
is  missionary.  The  whole  Christian  church, 
with  all  its  numerous  branches  and  separate 
organizations,  constitutes  a  mighty  army 
which  is  gloriously  pushing  forward  into  the 
enemy's  country,  and  each  individual  Chris- 
tian ought  to  be  a  living  factor  in  this  world 
conflict  for  Christ. 

How  can  the  presiding  elder  make  his  dis- 
trict a  world  force  in  waging  this  war  against 

79 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

sin,  heathenism,  idolatry,  and  superstition,  and 
bring  the  blessed  news  of  salvation  to  all 
men?  What  can  he  do  to  line  up  the  churches 
in  his  district  so  that  they  may  have  a  larger 
part  and  exert  a  more  potent  influence  in  the 
world?  The  presiding  elder,  as  superintend- 
ent of  a  district  or  conference,  stands  in  close 
relation  to  all  the  allied  interests  of  the 
church.  He  has  the  opportunity  of  molding 
opinion,  creating  sentiment,  and  leading  the 
district  into  larger  life,  broader  vision,  and  in- 
creased interest  in  all  missionary  work. 

We  are  at  present  in  a  period  of  transition 
as  to  the  place  and  work  of  the  presiding 
elder,  and  are  asking  whether  he  is  still  to 
consume  his  time  in  conducting  all  the  quar- 
terly meetings  and  communion  services,  and 
doing  many  things,  the  reasons  for  which  have 
passed  away,  and  which  the  pastor  can  do  as 
well  himself;  or  whether  he  is  to  give  himself 
to  the  more  vital  interests  of  the  conference 
and  Church  at  large  and  make  his  district  a 
greater  power  for  advancing  the  kingdom  of 
God.  Without  question,  the  successful  pre- 
siding elder  in  the  days  just  ahead  must  grasp 
the  essential  forward  movements  in  the 
Church,  and   reveal  to  the  pastors  and  local 

80 


The  District  a  World  Force 

congregations  the  part  they  may  have  in  ex- 
tending the  kingdom  of  God  in  this  day  of 
marvelous  opportunities. 

In  our  polity,  the  presiding  elder  is  the 
connecting  link  between  the  bishops  and  the 
general  boards  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  pas- 
tors and  congregations  on  the  other.  He  is 
the  only  one  who  stands  in  direct  touch  with 
the  pastors  and  official  members  of  our  local 
churches,  and  who  has  the  opportunity,  there- 
fore, and  the  authority  to  execute  plans  and 
policies  for  the  development  of  our  churches. 
We  are  entering  upon  a  new  era  in  every 
department  of  our  denominational  life,  and 
the  wide-awake  presiding  elder  will  have  no 
small  part  to  perform  in  the  advance  steps  that 
must  soon  be  taken. 

The  presiding  elder,  therefore,  should  be  a 
close  student  of  missions,  and  by  pondering 
the  Word  of  God  and  the  needs  of  the  world 
should  gain  a  world-wide  vision  that  will 
bring  to  his  own  heart  such  a  revelation  of 
responsibihty  and  such  a  baptism  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  as  shall  enable  him  to  carry  the  inspir- 
ing conceptions  of  God's  purpose  to  save  the 
whole  world  to  every  charge  on  his  district. 

81 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

In  Public  Addresses 

The  presiding  elder  should  know  our 
denominational  work  thoroughly,  and  be 
acquainted  with,  and  call  attention  to  our 
workers  and  our  fields  of  operation.  He 
should  inspire  the  whole  Church  by  relating 
the  victories  that  have  been  won,  and  by  call- 
ing attention  to  the  urgent  needs  for  enlarge- 
ment in  our  foreign  fields.  By  his  spirit  and 
attitude  toward  our  missionary  work  he  can 
exert  a  world-wide  influence.  He  can  assist 
in  planning  the  work  of  the  year,  and  can  also 
help  to  carry  out  the  plans  when  once  laid. 
His  aim  should  be  the  enlistment  of  every 
member  of  the  local  church  for  the  world- 
wide extension  of  the  kingdom. 

He  can  keep  the  aims  and  plans  of  work 
before  the  pastors  and  official  members  as  he 
meets  them  in  the  quarterly  business  sessions, 
and  also  before  the  congregations  by  his  pub- 
lic addresses.  It  is  his  business  to  present 
these  aims,  plans,  and  standards,  and  cause 
every  congregation  to  become  a  vital  factor  in 
world-wide  movements  for  God.  The  elder 
should  preach  on  Christian  giving  and  help 
the  pastors  to  inaugurate  a  better  financial 
system,   laying  emphasis   on   God's   claim   on 

82 


The  District  a  World  Force 

men's  lives  and  their  possessions ;  setting  forth 
the  tithe  as  the  minimum  bibhcal  standard, 
and  aim  to  secure  definite  advances  from 
year  to  year. 

He  can  often  give  new  inspiration  by  call- 
ing attention  to  the  successes  of  other 
churches  in  carrying  out  similar  aims,  and 
thus  assist  the  congregations  to  ever-increas- 
ing gifts  for  the  extension  of  the  work. 

A  live  presiding  elder  will  be  interested  in, 
and  work  for  a  revival  on  every  field  of  labor 
and  give  special  time  to  the  weak  fields,  for 
the  development  of  the  spiritual  life  of  such 
churches,  and  for  the  salvation  of  men  who 
will  be  added  to  the  working  force  of  the 
churches. 

In  the  Sunday  Schools 

The  presiding  elder  will  find  a  splendid 
opportunity  in  the  Sunday  schools  of  his  dis- 
trict. He  can  get  in  sympathetic  touch  with 
the  superintendent  of  the  school  and  impress 
him  with  the  importance  of  his  office  and 
inspire  him  with  a  broader  view  of  his  work. 
The  presiding  elder  can  also  make  inspira- 
tional addresses  to  the  Sunday  school  itself. 

In  the  quarterly   conference   the   presiding 

83 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

elder  can  keep  before  the  Sunday-school 
superintendent  and  the  other  official  members 
of  the  church  the  requirement  of  a  monthly 
or  quarterly  offering  for  missions,  and  urge 
special  missionary  programs  on  missionary 
days.  He  can  recommend  books  that  are 
specially  adapted  to  Sunday-school  workers, 
and  can  suggest  a  series  of  missionary  books 
for  the  library  of  every  school. 

The  vast  army  of  wide-awake  boys  and 
girls  in  our  Sunday  schools  constitutes  a 
mighty  force  in  the  onward  progress  of  the 
Church,  not  only  in  the  money  they  may  give, 
but  also  in  furnishing  the  men  and  women 
who  are  to  be  the  heralds  of  the  Cross  at  home 
and  abroad.  Here  we  will  find  also  our  future 
pastors,  superintendents,  and  teachers  for  the 


In  the  Young  People's  Societies 

In  the  Young  People's  and  Junior  societies 
the  presiding  elder  will  find  another  fruitful 
field  for  cultivation  for  the  extension  of  the 
gospel.  He  can  consult  with  the  president  of 
the  Young  People's  Society  and  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Juniors,  and  encourage  them  to 
organize  mission  study  classes. 

84 


The  District  a  World  Force 

At  the  quarterly  meetings  he  can  question 
the  officials  concerning  the  number  of  mission 
study  classes  organized  both  in  the  member- 
ship at  large  and  in  the  Sunday  school  and 
Young  People's  societies;  and  can  suggest 
programs  for  conference  conventions  and  dis- 
trict and  circuit  rallies.  The  elder  can  also 
inquire  into  the  work  of  the  Woman's  Mis- 
sionary Association  and  encourage  them  in 
their  splendid  undertaking. 

In  General 

The  presiding  elder  has  a  first-class  oppor- 
tunity to  carry  out  any  new  conception  he  has 
in  his  heart  for  the  advancement  of  the  king- 
dom. He  can  meet  personally  the  strategic 
men  of  each  local  church,  can  confer  with  the 
pastors  one  by  one,  and  can  suggest  for  each 
the  book  just  suited  for  his  needs;  and  in 
addition,  in  missionary  institutes,  Sunday- 
school  and  Young  People's  conventions,  he 
can  hold  before  his  district  the  aims  and  plans 
they  should  strive  to  work  out,  and  unite  all 
the  workers  in  definite  prayer  for  God's  grace 
and  blessings  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
tasks  before  them. 

The  opportunities  before  an  aggressive  pre- 

85 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

siding  elder  are  unlimited.  With  faith  in 
God  and  reliance  upon  the  Holy  Spirit,  with 
patience  and  perseverance,  he  should  go  forth 
full  of  hope  and  enthusiasm  in  the  business  of 
his  King.  He  has  a  unique  opportunity  in 
enlisting  local  churches  in  the  glorious  work 
of  making  Jesus  Christ  known  and  loved 
throughout  the  world.  To  the  extent  that  each 
local  church  recognizes  its  part  in  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  world,  to  that  extent  will  the 
presiding  elder  make  his  district  a  world 
force. 


86 


Rev.  G.  D.  Batdorf,  Reading,  Pa. 


No  church  has  any  right  to  exist  that  does 
not  spend  its  Hfe  for  the  kingdom  of  God  in 
the  whole  world.  Our  Lord  of  the  passing 
years  looks  to  us  to  obey  his  great  commis- 
sion and  fulfill  it  literally  to  every  generation. 
The  campaign  of  Christian  missions  is  world- 
wide. Upon  the  ears  of  the  last  needy  man 
in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  shall  fall 
the  music  of  Jesus'  name.  The  final  turning 
of  the  battle  into  a  universal  victory  for  our 
Christ  depends  upon  the  enlistment  of  the 
whole  army  in  the  conflict. 

It  is  a  deepening  conviction  with  me  that 
my  subject  is  one  most  vitally  important,  and 
the  one  that  strikes  to  the  very  root  of  the 
problem  of  the  world's  evangelization.  The 
problem  of  foreign  missions  finally  presses 
itself  back  upon  the  local  church  for  a  solu- 
tion, and  the  pastor,  more  than  any  one  else, 
holds  the  key  to  the  situation.  The  ultimate 
battlefield    of   the    foreign    war   is   the   home 

87 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

church.  Right  here  are  the  greatest  obstacles, 
and  here  also  is  the  greatest  danger  of  failure. 
To  make  every  local  congregation  a  world 
force  is  the  real  task  of  every  pastor,  and  he, 
indeed,  is  the  pivotal  man.  The  self-giving, 
saving  life  of  a  church  depends  upon  his  wis- 
dom, compassion,  and  leadership.  "Like 
priest,  like  people."  The  missionary  pastor — 
and  he  alone — will  develop  a  missionary  pas- 
torate. 

The  first  and  great  need  in  this  campaign, 
then,  is  a  ministry  whose  life  is  aflame  with 
missionary  consecration  and  devotion.  If 
every  church  in  our  denomination  is  not  a 
missionary  church,  it  is  because  of  a  lack  in 
the  pastor's  own  life.  He  must  possess  the 
missionary  heart — the  God-touched  soul.  Doc- 
tor Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  who  recently 
entered  into  his  rest,  has  set  up  this  standard 
for  every  pastor :  "A  man  who  shall  enter  the 
pastorate  at  home  cannot  be  an  able  minister 
until  his  torch  has  been  kindled  at  this  altar 
of  foreign  missions,  and  his  lips  touched  with 
this  living  coal."  Until  this  flame  glows  in  his 
deepest  soul  he  will  be  satisfied  to  have  his 
church  merely  on  dress  parade,  drilling  it  in 
mock  heroics,  and  happy  if  it  holds  its  own. 


The  Pastor  the  Pivotal  Man 

instead  of  it  becoming  a  disciplined  regiment 
entering  the  conflict  to  fight  and  to  conquer. 

The  church  needs,  above  ah  else,  pastors — 
missionary  pastors;  men  who  carry  in  their 
hearts  the  pain  of  Calvary  and  the  vision  of 
Olivet;  whose  love  is  world-wide  in  its  out- 
going compassion.  Such  men  become  God's 
ambassadors  to  all  nations,  and  their  pastor- 
ates widen  into  world-parishes.  The  battle 
languishes ;  soldiers  are  dying  on  their  arms, 
waiting ;  the  church  is  halting  at  home  because 
of  the  lack  of  a  heroic  and  self-sacrificing 
leadership.  Our  congregations  are  waiting  to 
be  led.  They  are  willing  to  be  led,  but  they 
will  never  go  where  we  do  not  lead  them. 
The  stream  rises  no  higher  than  its  fountain- 
head.  Ordinarily,  the  pew  does  not  go  beyond 
the  standard  set  by  the  pulpit. 

The  minister  cannot  inspire  his  people  with 
missionary  enthusiasm  until  the  fire  flames 
and  glows  in  his  own  soul.  When  Alexander 
Dufif  came  home  after  his  life  work  in  India, 
a  great  throng  assembled  in  Edinburgh  to 
hear  him  on  the  claims  of  India  upon  the 
Christian  church.  After  an  eloquent  appeal 
of  two  hours  and  a  half,  the  old  veteran 
fainted  away  and  was  carried  out  of  the  hall. 

89 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

When  consciousness  returned  he  said :  "Where 
have  I  been?  Take  me  back.  I  must  finish 
my  plea."  The  great  audience  arose  as  friends 
bore  him  back  to  the  platform.  Again  his 
strength  failed  him  and  he  could  not  rise ;  but, 
gathering  himself  up  for  one  final  effort,  he 
said:  "Fathers  of  Scotland,  have  you  any 
more  sons  for  India?  I  have  spent  my  life 
there  and  my  life  is  gone,  but  if  there  are  no 
more  young  men  to  go,  I  will  go  back  myself 
and  lay  my  bones  there  that  the  people  may 
know  there  is  one  man  in  Christian  Britain 
ready  to  die  for  India's  deliverance." 

This  is  the  only  saving,  conquering  life. 
The  pastor  who  carries  in  his  heart  such  a 
pain  for  the  lost  of  earth  will  unconsciously 
but  surely  transmit  the  same  spirit  to  his 
people,  and  out  from  his  church  will  flow  cur- 
rents of  life  to  bless  and  save  men  unto  the 
ends  of  the  earth. 

Through  the  pastor  alone  can  the  ear  and 
heart  of  the  whole  church  finally  be  reached. 
Fully  three-fourths  of  our  people  are  almost 
wholly  dependent  upon  the  pastor  for  the 
extent  of  their  vision  and  the  breadth  of  their 
sympathies.  They  see  and  feel  the  need  of  the 
world  only  as  it  comes  to  them  through  the 

90 


The  Pastor  the  Pivotal  Man 

eyes  and  heart  of  the  minister.  As  pastors  we 
are  not  true  to  our  people  if  we  neglect  to 
give  them  this  larger  vision  and  open  to  them 
this  fountain  of  richest  blessing.  The  mission- 
ary life  begotten  in  the  heart  of  a  local  church 
through  the  faith  and  prayers  and  tears  of  a 
faithful  pastor,  becomes  in  that  church  a  well 
of  living  water.  The  church  that  believes 
and  propagates  a  world-gospel  has  also  the 
strongest  faith  in  its  power  to  save  the  lost  at 
her  own  doors.  "The  Son  of  God  fixed  our 
eyes  upon  that  last  man,  that  we  might  see 
between  us  and  him  every  other  man."  A 
church  can  reach  its  best  only  by  having  the 
world-vision  and  becoming  a  world  force. 

"The  field  is  the  world."  Dayton  is  not  the 
world,  nor  Indiana,  neither  Pennsylvania 
nor  America.  These  are  only  sections  of  the 
field.  God  loved  the  world  and  his  Son  died 
for  it.  A  narrowing  of  the  field  would  dis- 
honor our  Lord  and  misrepresent  his  mission 
to  men.  Life  in  the  spiritual  realm  operates 
according  to  law  analogous  to  that  in  the  nat- 
ural order.  Every  time  I  strike  my  hand  into 
the  air,  I  disturb  this  physical  universe  to  the 
very  rim  of  things.  In  like  manner  a  life  lived 
in    spiritual    and    vital    touch    with    God    will 

91 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

affect  the  kingdom  of  God  in  all  its  realms,  in 
the  farthest  earth  and  the  highest  heaven. 
God  gives  to  every  pastor  an  audience  of  na- 
tions and  of  continents.  He  cannot,  nor  dare 
he  localize  his  life;  his  church  must  afford 
a  parish  as  extended  as  the  world  for  which 
the  Son  of  God  gave  his  life.  It  is  possible  for 
every  local  church  to  become  such  a  world 
force,  but  the  pastor  himself  must  kindle  the 
fire  and  lead  the  way.  And  God  wills  that  he 
should.  But  how  shall  this  be  accomplished? 
First,  by  the  faithful  preaching  of  a  full 
gospel.  Every  pastor  should  magnify  his 
office  as  a  world-messenger.  I  have  not  in 
mind  the  occasional  preaching  of  a  missionary 
sermon,  but  the  general  tone  of  all  our  preach- 
ing. Every  pulpit  in  our  denomination  should 
be  made  to  echo  every  Sunday  with  the  great 
permission  and  privilege  of  giving  the  gospel 
to  others,  until  our  people  will  go  away  from 
every  service  feeling  that  their  chief  business 
is  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation. 
If  the  membership  will  not  read  missionary 
literature,  then  the  pastor  ought  to  give  out 
fifty-two  Sundays  in  the  year  such  missionary 
information  and  enthusiasm  that  will  stir  up 
any  congregation,  dying  or  dead,  to  a  sense  of 

92 


The  Pastor  the  Pivotal  Man 

its  responsibility.  No  generation  of  men  ever 
had  a  finer  opportunity  for  usefulness  and 
power  than  the  ministry  of  to-day.  ''The 
world  is  before  us,  with  all  its  gates  ajar." 
Unless  our  people  are  marching  out  with 
steady  tread,  radiant  in  the  joy  of  self-giving 
life,  to  save  the  lost  in  the  farthest  regions, 
we  may  well  ponder  whether  our  work  as  pas- 
tors is  not,  after  all,  largely  a  failure. 

Doctor  Mateer  has  significantly  said : 
''V^'lien  a  missionary  gospel  is  preached  in  the 
pulpit,  then  the  people  will  give,  and  their 
sons  and  daughters  will  go."  Raymond  Lull 
dedicated  his  life  to  the  Mohammedans  under 
the  influence  of  a  powerful  sermon  by  an 
unnamed  friar. 

\Mien  Henry  Martyn  was  a  student  at 
Cambridge,  he  received  his  first  missionary 
impulse  from  a  sermon  by  the  university 
preacher,  and  the  fire  then  kindled  in  his  heart 
burned  at  white  heat  until  his  spirit  went  home 
to  God.  Some  time  ago,  after  a  sermon  in 
which  the  world  vision  was  magnified,  one  of 
the  young  people  of  my  congregation,  a  bright 
student  and  faithful  worker,  came  up  to  me 
with  radiant  face,  while  the  tears  flowed,  and 
said :    "It  is  all  settled  now.    My  life  is  on  the 

93 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

altar  for  service  anywhere."  I  bowed  and 
thanked  God  for  such  currents  of  hfe  in  my 
church,  and  for  the  subHme  privilege  of 
touching  the  world. 

The  pastor  who  develops  in  his  church  a 
deepejted  prayer  Hfe  adds  untold  spiritual 
power  to  zvorld  missions.  Paul  carried  in  his 
heart  the  constant  supplication  for  all  the 
saints  and  for  the  world.  The  pulpit  prayer 
which  does  not,  with  fervency,  lead  the  con- 
gregation of  assembled  worshipers  into  the 
presence  of  the  One  who  died  for  all  and  who 
would  have  all  saved,  lacks  its  most  vital  ele- 
ment. Prayer  is  the  greatest  of  God's  gifts 
to  the  whole  church.  Then  let  it  "rise  like  a 
fountain  night  and  day."  From  the  time  when 
Jesus  said,  "Pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest," 
until  the  little  group  of  students  gathered  with 
Samuel  J.  Mills  in  the  memorable  haystack 
intercession,  until  the  day  when  David  Living- 
stone went  home  to  God  from  the  ante-room 
of  the  king  in  his  tent  at  Ilala,  pleading  for 
Africa,  and  until  now,  prayer  has  been  one  of 
the  mightiest  agencies  in  re-enforcing  and 
sustaining  the  missionary  campaign  of  the 
church. 

In  this  work  it  is  also  true  that  "zvhere  the 

94 


The  Pastor  the  Pivotal  Man 

treasure  is  there  will  the  heart  he  also."  When 
once  people  put  their  money  into  a  world  cam- 
paign, their  hearts  will  beget  a  world  vision 
and  a  world  love.  Hence  it  is  due  our 
churches  that  they  be  led  to  give  systemat- 
ically and  regularly,  and  that  their  giving  ade- 
quately expresses  and  represents  their  ability 
to  give.  Let  no  one  regard  it  beneath  his 
place  as  a  minister  to  work  this  mine  of 
wealth  for  the  enrichment  of  the  heathen 
world  and  the  home  church.  Back  of  a  system 
of  regular  offerings  to  missions,  and  back  of 
the  special  individual  gifts,  is  usually  a  pastor 
aflame  with  missionary  zeal,  who  preaches  a 
world  evangel  in  pentecostal  power,  and 
whose  hand  is  constantly  on  the  financial  aims 
and  plans  of  his  congregation.  Every  pastor 
should  study  how  to  release  this  mighty 
dynamic  of  the  church's  unsurrendered  wealth, 
and  turn  it  into  the  channels  of  the  world's 
deliverance. 

Missions  are  the  church's  supreme  work. 
All  should  be  made  to  feel  that  a  great  cam- 
paign is  on.  Let  the  whole  church  be  com- 
pletely organized  and  enlisted  for  world  con- 
quest.   Every  department  must  be  lined  up  to 

95 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

*'go,"  in  money,  in  intercession,  in  work,  and 
in  life. 

The  Christ  of  God  is  our  perfect  ideal  for 
the  missionary  pastor  and  the  missionary. 
How  his  heart  yearned  in  bleeding  compassion 
for  the  shepherdless  race!  He  was  God's  first 
missionary.  Scarcely  had  he  begun  his  work 
when  the  wicked  heathen  crucified  him.  But 
his  life  was  freely  given.  Close  to  him  stands 
Saul  of  Tarsus,  who  is  also  called  Paul.  What 
a  missionary  heart  St.  Paul  had !  After  nine- 
teen centuries  we  can  still  feel  it  throb.  His 
spirit  was  daily  pained  by  the  world's  desola- 
tion. Upon  him  weighed  Asia  Minor,  Greece, 
Rome;  and  still  the  ''regions  beyond"  beck- 
oned him  on.  There  is  much  to  inspire  us. 
Our  denominational  history  is  radiant  with 
missionary  triumph.  Otterbein,  who  loved 
his  home  and  native  land,  the  American  con- 
tinent and  the  world,  has  bequeathed  to  the 
Church  his  love  and  his  consecration.  The 
blood  of  our  martyred  missionaries  on  foreign 
shores,  and  of  those  whose  ashes  rest  in  the 
climes  they  loved,  has  doubly  and  forever 
sanctified  their  consecration.  I  fancy  their 
sainted  spirits  are  among  us  now  as  attendants 
from  heaven,  and  with  them  they  have  brought 

96 


The  Pastor  the  Pivotal  Man 

the  lands  for  which  they  gladly  died.  Among 
us  are  still  some  of  the  first  heroes  of  the  cam- 
paign. Amid  such  influences  may  our  lives  be 
dedicated  anew  to  so  glorious  a  warfare.  For 
the  story  must  be  told.  Arise,  O  church  of 
the  living  God,  and  shine,  for  through  Christ, 
the  Savior,  Teacher,  King,  and  through  him 
alone,  the  blind  and  weary  of  earth,  the  lost 
and  ruined  race,  shall  reach  at  last  the  gates 
of  gold. 


97 


S.  S.  Hough 

Secretary  of  Foreign  Missionary  Society 


Every  Christian  may  release  five  factors  of 
power  to  bring  the  world  back  to  God : 

1.  The  Power  of  a  Life.  The  whole  per- 
sonality is  a  living  epistle,  known  and  read  of 
all  we  meet.  Hence,  a  sincere,  loyal  Christian 
life  is  a  constant  witness  for  God. 

2.  The  Power  of  Acts.  By  deeds  of  jus- 
tice and  kindness,  small  or  great,  performed 
day  by  day,  for  Jesus'  sake,  one  not  only 
strengthens  his  own  personal  life,  but  releases 
a  power  on  other  lives  that  uplifts,  changes 
the  social  atmosphere,  and  wins  confidence. 

3.  The  Power  of  Words.  When  confi- 
dence has  been  established,  when  we  have 
earned  a  hearing  through  ysitW-doing,  our 
words  will  have  great  power.  By  words  of 
personal  testimony  and  invitation,  our  friends, 
one  by  one,  can  be  brought  to  Christ.  Every 
Christian  should  study  his  associates,  all 
through  life,  with  a  view  to  bringing  to  bear 
upon  their  lives,  in  full  measure,  the  three- 

98 


Prayer  the  Supreme  Factor 

fold  power  of  a  pure  life,  noble  deeds,  and 
words  seasoned  with  grace,  to  the  end  that  all 
may  be  saved  and  led  into  active  Christian 
service. 

4.  The  Power  of  Gifts.  Money  is  power. 
Through  gifts  we  may  release  a  power  that 
will  work  mightily  for  God  in  America,  or  in 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  One  man 
gave  $100,000  for  gospel  work  in  one  district 
of  India.  As  a  result,  missionaries  were  sup- 
ported, churches  organized,  chapels  built,  and 
in  twenty  years  fifty  thousand  idolaters  ac- 
cepted Christ  as  Savior.  Was  not  that  a  splen- 
did way  to  release  the  power  of  money  ? 

5.  Prayer  the  Supreme  Factor.  The 
greatest  contribution  any  Christian  can  make 
to  the  saving  of  the  world  is  through  prayer. 
Through  vital  prayer  the  personal  life  of  the 
believer  is  renewed  day  by  day  with  energy 
from  God.  Back  of  noble  deeds,  inspiring 
words,  and  consecrated  gifts  you  will  find  the 
upward  look  of  prayer. 

But  it  is  not  the  power  of  prayer  as  a  work- 
ing force  in  the  personal  life  that  I  desire  to 
emphasize  at  this  time.  It  is  the  power  of 
prayer,  not  for  ourselves,  but  for  others — the 
intercessory    prayer.      Our    Lord    and    King, 

99 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

after  his  sacrifice  for  sin,  ascended  to  the 
right  hand  of  God,  and  there  "he  ever  Hveth 
to  make  intercession  for  us."  Christ  is  hving 
and  intensely  active,  and  from  the  position  of 
supreme  authority  and  power  he  is  adminis- 
tering his  great  saving  work  for  the  whole 
world  by  receiving  from  the  Father  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  all  spiritual  blessing,  and  bestow- 
ing them  for  the  equipment  of  his  followers 
in  service,  and  for  repentance  and  remis- 
sion of  sins.  (Acts  5:31,  32.)  And  he  is 
"from  henceforth  expecting  till  his  enemies 
be  made  his  footstool."  In  an  important 
sense,  all  that  Christ  did  while  here  on  earth 
was  but  a  preparation  for  his  present,  vital, 
and  glorious  work  of  intercession. 

Again  and  again  our  Lord  emphasized  the 
fact  that  his  followers  are  called  also  to  this 
supremely  important  work  of  intercessory 
prayer.  Just  before  he  departed,  he  gave  this 
promise :  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he 
that  believeth  on  me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall 
he  do  also,  and  greater  works  than  these  shall 
he  do;  because  I  go  unto  the  Father.  And 
whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that  ivill 
I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the 

100 


Prayer  the  Supreme  Factor 

Son.     If  ye  ask  anything  in  my  name,  that 
will  I  do."     (John  14 :  12-14,  R.  V.) 

God's  Will  Discerned  Through  Prayer 

It  is  through  prayer  and  the  study  of  the 
Word  that  the  will  of  God  concerning  the 
work  he  wants  done  is  made  known  to  us. 
God's  purpose  to  give  the  gospel  to  the  Gen- 
tiles was  revealed  to  Peter  when  he  went  up 
upon  the  housetop  to  pray.  The  church  at 
Antioch  was  fasting  and  praying  when  the 
Holy  Ghost  said,  ''Separate  me  Barnabas  and 
Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I  have  called 
them,"  and  thus  the  great  missionary  move- 
ment was  born. 

Recently  the  writer,  in  making  a  journey 
from  New  York  to  Porto  Rico,  was  delayed 
by  a  storm  at  sea.  Attempts  were  made  by 
passengers  on  the  steamer  to  send  wireless 
messages  to  friends  on  the  island,  but  for 
some  reason  no  one  was  in  the  "receiving 
station'  at  San  Juan,  to  hear  the  faint  ticks  of 
the  instrument  announcing  the  message. 
After  several  hours  of  waiting,  the  operator 
triumphantly  reported,  "We  are  now  in  com- 
munication with  San  Juan." 

Our  Heavenly  Father  has  many  messages 

101 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

he  desires  to  send  to  his  children  concerning 
his  work  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  he  has 
a  perfect  way  by  which  he  can  get  into  com- 
munication with  every  one  who  enters  the 
''closet  of  prayer/'  the  "receiving  station," 
and  shuts  out  every  voice  but  the  one  from 
above.     (Matt.  6:6.) 

Hence,  listening  for  God's  voice  is  an  im- 
portant part  of  prayer.  It  is  more  necessary 
that  we  should  hear  what  God  has  to  say  to 
us  than  that  he  should  hear  what  we  have  to 
say  to  him.  Our  Lord  Jesus  himself  is  direct- 
ing this  marvelous  work  from  the  throne  of 
God,  and  while  we  are  in  vital  communion 
with  him,  the  Spirit  of  God  speaks  to  us  his 
message,  and  ''he  will  show  you  things  to 
come."  Through  prayer  we  get  light  on  what 
God  wants  us  to  do,  and  conviction,  courage, 
and  grace  to  do  the  will  of  God  when  we 
know  it.  "We  can  do  more  than  pray  after 
we  have  prayed,  but  we  cannot  do  more  until 
we  have  prayed." 

God  Works  When  We  Pray 

Some  one  has  said  that  by  praying,  a  Chris- 
tian can  project  his  life  as  a  working  force  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth.     There   is   something 

102 


Prayer  the  Supreme  Factor 

better  than  that.  God  works  when  we  pray. 
Only  by  the  appHcation  of  divine  power  can 
the  world  be  brought  back  to  God.  It  is  not 
our  working  that  is  the  telling  factor;  it  is  the 
working  of  Christ  himself  that  wins  the  vic- 
tories. A  startling  truth  is  this,  that  the  Son 
of  God  has  placed  at  our  disposal  the  omnip- 
otent power  of  the  Spirit  and  his  own  life,  to 
be  called  into  action  through  prayer.  The 
very  life  and  power  of  Christ  are  released  on 
the  unsolved  problems  of  the  world's  evan- 
gelization when  the  Christian  believer,  in 
vital,  intercessory  prayer,  asks  in  accordance 
with  the  will  of  God.  We  have  a  God  "which 
worketh  for  him  that  waiteth  for  him."  (Isa. 
64:4,  R.  V.)  Christ  declared,  'If  ye  ask, 
...  I  will  do."  We  glorify  God  when  we 
make  it  possible  for  him  to  do  great  things. 

King  Asa  thus  glorified  God  in  his  day,  and 
the  record  is:  "Were  not  the  Ethiopians  and 
the  Lubim  a  huge  host,  with  chariots  and 
horsemen  exceeding  many?  Yet,  because 
thou  didst  rely  on  the  Lord,  he  delivered  them 
into  thine  hand.  For  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  run 
to  and  fro  throughout  the  zvhole  earth,  to 
show  himself  strong  in  the  behalf  of  them 
ivhose    heart  is  perfect    tozvard  him."      (II. 

103 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

Chron.  16:8,  9.)  And  this  intercessory  pray- 
ing, though  of  the  highest  order,  can  be  done 
by  all  those  who  are  sincere,  obedient  Chris- 
tians, though  tempted  and  tried. 

"Elijah  was  a  man  of  like  passions  with  us, 
and  he  prayed  fervently  that  it  might  not 
rain,  and  it  rained  not  on  the  earth  for  three 
years  and  six  months;  and  he  prayed  again; 
and  the  heavens  gave  rain,  and  the  earth 
brought  forth  her  fruit." 

Objects  for  World-Wide  Intercession 

For  whom  and  for  what  shall  we  pray? 
To  pray  with  power,  we  must  pray  for  some- 
thing. Prayer  should  be  offered  for  mission- 
ary zvorkers.     There  are  three  classes: 

1.  Foreign  Missionaries.  God  alone  knows 
the  persons  who  are  fitted  for  this  service, 
that  requires  such  distinguished  ability,  such 
deep  spirituality,  and  such  practical  efficiency; 
and  God  must  give  them.  Hence,  our  Lord 
commands  his  church,  'Tray  ye  therefore 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  send  forth 
laborers  into  his  harvest."  An  adequate 
supply  of  God-called  missionaries  is  condi- 
tioned on  the  fidelity  of  the  church  in  prayer. 

2.  Native  Laborers.     The  ultimate  aim  of 

104 


Prayer  the  Supreme  Factor 

the  foreign  missionary  work  is  to  establish  a 
native  church  that  shall  become,  as  soon  as 
possible,  self-supporting,  self-extending,  and 
self -directing.  How  supremely  important  that 
prayer  be  offered  to  God  for  the  calling  forth 
of  the  right  kind  of  efficient  native  pastors, 
teachers,  and  evangelists,  who  are  to  lay  the 
foundation  for  centuries  of  Christian  work  in 
our  foreign  fields ! 

3.  Missionary  Workers  in  the  Home  Land. 
Prayer  should  be  offered  also  for  God  to  call 
forth  and  equip  the  kind  of  pastors  needed  to 
supply  all  the  home  churches  with  efficient, 
broad-minded,  spiritual  leadership.  The  work 
of  God  is  stalling  in  many  of  the  churches  of 
the  home  land.  Every  pastor  should  regard 
his  church  as  a  band  of  soldiers  to  capture 
the  community  for  Christ,  and  as  a  spiritual 
dynamo  whose  influence,  through  prayer  and 
generous  giving,  should  reach  the  remotest 
corners  of  this  ruined  world.  No  Christian 
can  do  a  greater  work  than  to  pray  prevail- 
ingly for  his  pastor,  and  work  loyally  by  his 
side,  that  his  own  church  may  be  brought  into 
such  a  position  of  privilege  and  power. 

We  must  not  stop  praying  when  the  mis- 
sionaries are  on  the  field,  and  the  equipment 

105 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

has  been  supplied,  and  the  native  workers 
placed — all  of  this  is  but  the  beginning  of  the 
spiritual  conquest.  God  forbid  that  we  should 
cease  to  pray  as  the  battle  grows  fiercer  and 
fiercer!  The  victory  is  assured,  but  it  can  be 
won  speedily  and  be  made  complete  only 
through  the  united  intercessory  prayer  of 
God's  people. 

A  faithful  missionary  on  the  firing  line  de- 
clares that  without  the  prayers  of  the  home 
church  he  seems  like  a  man  in  water  twenty 
feet  deep,  without  any  outlet  to  the  world 
above. 

Mr.  John  R.  Mott,  after  returning  from  a 
world  missionary  tour,  says:  "As  I  traveled 
up  and  down  the  non-Christian  world,  making 
a  comparative  study  of  the  progress  of 
Christ's  kingdom  in  different  sections  of  the 
great  harvest  field,  the  conviction  became 
clear  and  strong  that  those  missions  which 
have  had  offered  for  them  the  most  real 
prayer  are  the  missions  which  have  had  the 
largest  spiritual  success." 

Thus,  as  a  Christian  prays  for  God  to  bless 
his  own  pastor,  that  he  may  lead  the  member- 
ship of  his  church  to  see  the  privilege  of  part- 
nership with  Jesus  Christ  in  saving  the  world, 

106 


Prayer  the  Supreme  Factor 

God  hears  and  anszvers,  and  a  new  evangel- 
istic and  missionary  impulse  is  seen  in  the 
pulpit;  and  it  soon  pervades  the  church.  He 
prays  again  for  God  to  remove  the  barriers 
to  the  work  in  some  foreign  field,  and  God 
beats  back  the  powers  of  darkness  and  breaks 
down  the  hindrances.  Thus,  as  he  prays,  God 
zvorks. 

"Such  are  noble  Christian  workers, 

The  men  of  faith  and  power, 
The  overcoming  wrestlers 

Of  many  a  midnight  hour; 
Prevailing  princes  with  their  God, 

Who  will  not  be  denied, 
Who  bring  down  showers  of  blessing 

To  swell  the  rising  tide. 
The  Prince  of  Darkness  quaileth 

At  their  triumphant  way, 
Their  fervent  prayer  availeth 

To  sap  his  subtle  sway." 

To  mention  the  names  of  those  who  have 
practiced  intercessory  prayer  would  be  to  call 
the  roll  of  all  who  have  been  a  spiritual  power 
in  the  world.  The  Apostle  Paul  used,  in  a 
marvelous  way,  this  supreme  factor  of  power. 
He  writes :    "God  is  my  witness  that,  without 

107 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

ceasing,  I  make  mention  of  you  always  in  my 
prayer/' 

David  Livingstone,  the  prince  of  modern 
missionaries,  who  opened  up  the  great  interior 
of  the  "Dark  Continent"  to  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  lived  in  the  atmosphere  of  inter- 
cession, and  died  on  his  knees  in  the  heart  of 
Africa.  On  June  14,  1856,  away  up  the  Zam- 
bezi River,  he  prayed:  ''0  Jesus,  grant  me 
entire  reliance  on  thy  powerful  hand.  On 
thy  word  alone  I  lean.  But,  zvilt  thou  permit 
me  to  plead  for  Africa  f  This  cause  is  thine. 
What  an  impulse  will  he  given  to  the  idea  that 
Africa  is  not  open  if  I  perish  nozu!  See,  O 
Lord,  how  the  heathen  rise  up  against  me,  as 
they  did  to  thy  Son.  I  commit  my  zvay  unto 
thee.  I  trust  also  in  thee  that  thou  wilt 
direct  my  steps.  Thou  givest  wisdom  liber- 
ally to  all  who  ask  thee — give  it  to  me,  my 
Father.  I  cast  myself  and  all  my  cares  dozvn 
at  ihy  feet!  Thou  knowest  all  I  need  for 
time  and  for  eternity." 

Shall  we  not  now  cease  to  offer  the  inter- 
mittent prayer,  and  henceforth  begin  to  pray 
zi'ithout  ceasing? 


108 


^ppentiii  A 


The  Weekly  Offering  for  Missions  and  Other 
Benevolences 

No  subject  is  receiving  more  thoughtful 
attention,  at  this  time,  in  the  Protestant 
churches  of  Canada  and  the  United  States, 
than  that  of  a  workable,  efficient  system  for 
the  securing  of  the  money  needed  for  mis- 
sions, church  erection,  education,  and  other 
benevolences.  Those  who  advocate  a  weekly 
system  of  offerings  for  these  benevolences 
give  the  following  reasons  for  its  introduc- 
tion : 

1.  It  is  the  Scriptural  method.  Paul  had 
instructed  the  churches  of  Galatia  to  lay  aside 
weekly  an  offering  for  benevolence,  and  he 
sought  to  introduce  the  same  system  in  the 
church  at  Corinth,  saying:  ''As  I  gaz'e  order 
to  the  churches  of  Galatia,  so  also  do  ye. 
Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  each  one  of 
you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as  he  may  prosper, 
that  no  collections  he  made  zvhen  I  come." 
(I.  Cor.  16:1,  2,  R.  V.) 

109 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

2.  The  bringing  of  an  offering  to  the  Lord 
every  week,  for  others,  educates  the  contrib- 
utor to  regard  giving  as  an  act  of  worship ; 
and  when  the  giving  of  the  church  becomes  a 
recognized  part  of  its  worship,  the  spiritual 
Hfe  of  the  members  will  be  deepened  and  its 
income  increased. 

3.  The  weekly  offering  for  missions  and 
other  benevolences  is  a  recognition  that  this 
work  is  not  a  side  issue,  but  the  work  for 
which  the  church  was  constituted.  It  puts  the 
gifts  for  others  on  a  similar  plane  with  the 
gifts  for  the  local  work,  indicating  that  we 
love  our  neighbors  as  ourselves. 

4.  Thousands  of  dollars  are  now  lost  an- 
nually to  the  benevolent  work  of  the  church 
because  of  the  haphazard  way  of  giving  that 
prevails  in  many  congregations.  There  is  no 
lack  of  money;  what  is  lacking  is  knowledge, 
love,  prayer,  and  a  better  system  of  giving. 
Moreover,  too  much  time  and  energy  of  the 
pastors  are  consumed  when  numerous  ap- 
peals have  to  be  made ;  and  then,  usually,  not 
more  than  one-half  of  the  enrolled  members 
are  enlisted  in  giving  to  the  various  be- 
nevolent interests.  Many  a  church-member, 
knowing  that  the  end  and  aim  of  each  appeal 

110 


Appendix  A 

is  to  be  a  collection,  assumes,  perhaps  uncon- 
sciously, an  attitude  of  resistance  to  the 
appeal,  complains  of  the  "everlasting  beg- 
ging" ;  and  some  make  this  an  excuse  for 
staying  away  altogether  on  such  occasions. 

On  the  other  hand,  where  the  weekly-offer- 
ing system  has  been  faithfully  tried,  after  it 
has  been  thoroughly  introduced,  the  pastors 
have  been  relieved  of  the  numerous  appeals, 
and  have  more  time  to  devote  to  soul-winning, 
and  the  educational  and  training  agencies  nec- 
essary for  the  enrichment  of  the  lives  of  their 
members,  and  for  making  them  efficient  in 
service ;  and  the  congregations  have  increased 
their  contributions  to  missions  and  other  be- 
nevolences from  fifty  to  five  hundred  per  cent, 
over  the  amount  given  in  years  when  no  regu- 


A  System  for  Local  Needs 

In  many  churches  the  first  step  toward  a 
better  order  of  things  financially  will  be  the 
careful  instruction  of  their  members  in  the 
principles  of  stewardship.  It  would  be  an 
excellent  thing  if  each  pastor  would  select  a 
good  book  on  tithing  and  Christian  steward- 
ship, and  arrange  with    the    stewards  of  his 

111 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

local  church,  Sunday-school  teachers,  and 
other  official  members  to  meet  with  him  once 
a  week,  for  a  period  of  five  or  more  weeks, 
for  a  prayerful  study  of  this  important  sub- 
ject. 

When  the  class  has  finished  this  study,  a 
public  presentation  of  the  subject  to  the 
whole  congregation,  when  the  members  of  the 
class  could  be  given  an  important  part  on  the 
program,  would  doubtless  result  in  creating  a 
splendid  atmosphere  for  the  introduction  of  a 
system  of  offerings. 

The  ''regions  beyond''  of  great  importance 
to  every  minister  and  wide-awake  layman  in 
the  home  land,  are  the  regions  of  undeveloped 
talents  and  means  in  our  home  churches.  The 
extensive  work  for  God  in  the  world  will  go 
forward  only  in  proportion  as  the  intensive 
work  is  thoroughly  performed  in  the  local 
churches.  It  is  of  supreme  importance  that 
every  church-member  be  led,  early  in  the 
Christian  life,  to  enter  into  partnership  with 
God  in  the  matter  of  his  money  and  his 
talents. 

A  new  era  of  spiritual  life  will  come  to  our 
churches  when  the  laymen  recognize  that  they 
are  called  of  God  to  consecrate  their  money 

112 


Appendix  A 

and  business  ability  to  the  work  of  their  Lord, 
just  as  surely  as  missionaries  and  ministers 
are  called  of  God  to  consecrate  to  him  their 
talents ;  and,  thank  God,  we  have  encouraging 
signs  of  the  dawning  of  that  day. 

But  few  congregations  will  consider  serious- 
ly the  importance  of  introducing  a  weekly 
system  of  giving  for  benevolence  until  they 
have  recognized  the  importance  of  such  a  sys- 
tem to  provide  adequately  for  their  local 
needs.  We  here  present  a  form  of  pledge- 
card  which  has  been  heartily  endorsed  by  the 
Bishops'  Cabinet,  and  can  be  readily  adapted 
to  country  charges,  as  well  as  town  and  city 
churches,  for  securing  the  money  needed  for 
local  church  expenses : 

THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  EST  CHRIST. 
For  the  Support  of  Our  Local  Church. 

The  sura  necessary  to  meet  the  current  expenses  of  our 
local  church  this  year,  including  the  pastor's  salary,  will 
be  $ 

To  help  meet  these  expenses  I  desire  to  contribute  the 
weekly  amount  under  which  I  mark  X  in  the  space  below. 

Amount  Weekly  for  Local  Expenses 


$2.00  1    1.00  1    .75    1    ..50 

.35        .25        .15 

.10    1    .05 

1            1            1 

1 

Name Date_ 

Address 


Note.— All  subscriptions  are  calculated  on  the  weekly 
basis  in  accordance  with  I  Cor.  16:2.  However,  if  desired, 
the  payments  of  this  subscription  maybe  made  monthly, 
quarterly,  or  in  cash  early  in  the  year. 

113 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

Only  by  enlisting  the  whole  membership  to 
give  systematically  can  our  pastors  secure 
an  adequate  salary,  and  our  home-mission 
churches  soon  become  self-supporting.  One 
of  our  greatest  needs  is  to  provide  better  sal- 
aries for  our  pastors,  and  one  of  the  greatest 
hindrances  to  the  speedy  extension  of  the  gos- 
pel in  America  is  the  fact  that  a  large  number 
of  churches  depend  on  home  missionary  aid 
for  many  years  without  a  proper  effort  on 
their  part  to  introduce  a  system  of  offerings 
that  would  develop  a  large  income  of  their 
own,  and  soon  put  them  into  the  invigorating 
atmosphere  of  a  self-supporting  institution. 

The  Plan  Succeeds  When  Tried 

There  are  many  examples  in  local  churches 
of  what  can  be  done  along  the  line  here  men- 
tioned. It  required  the  Shoemaker  Memorial 
Church  at  McKeesport,  Pa.,  only  a  few  years 
to  become  self-supporting.  That  church  has 
since  extended  its  system  of  giving  to  benevo- 
lences, and  it  is  now  supporting  a  "foreign 
parish"  in  Africa. 

The  East  Dayton  United  Brethren  Church, 
after  being  organized  only  five  years,  re- 
quested the  annual  conference,  a  year  ago,  to 

114 


Appendix  A 

discontinue  its  home  missionary  appropria- 
tion. Through  the  careful  introduction  of  a 
weekly  system  of  giving  for  local  expenses, 
this  splendid  goal  was  reached  in  that  brief 
period  of  years. 

A  similar  system  of  weekly  offerings  for 
benevolences  has  been  introduced.  Every  bill 
for  local  expenses  each  month,  including  the 
pastor's  salary,  has  been  paid  promptly,  with 
a  balance  in  the  treasury.  The  claims  for 
home  missions,  church  erection,  and  educa- 
tional work  for  the  year  were  all  paid  in  full 
to  the  treasurer  more  than  a  month  in  advance 
of  the  annual  conference,  and  there  will  be  a 
surplus  for  these  interests ;  and  this  congrega- 
tion will  be  in  the  ''heroic"  standard  of  offer- 
ings for  foreign  missions. 

The  pastor  of  this  church  writes :  **The 
congregation  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  weekly  contribution  for  benevolences  is 
just  as  scriptural  and  practical  as  the  weekly 
contribution  for  current  expenses.  The  de- 
velopment of  the  local  church  along  other 
lines  during  these  years  is  abundant  proof,  to 
one  church  at  least,  that  systematic  giving 
pays."     In  almost  every  conference  there  are 

115 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

churches  doing  a  work  similar  to  that  here 
mentioned. 

Annual  Conferences  Planning 

The  Southeast  Ohio,  Miami,  East  Ohio,  and 
Allegheny  conferences  have  appointed  compe- 
tent committees  to  work  out  carefully  a  sys- 
tem of  ofTerings  for  local  expenses,  and  for 
benevolences,  that  shall  enable  each  church,  it 
is  hoped,  to  release  a  much  greater  power  for 
God,  with  much  less  waste  of  energy. 

In  a  letter  sent  out  to  the  pastors  of  the 
East  Ohio  Conference,  explaining  this  system, 
the  committee  fixed  the  standard  for  foreign 
missions  as  follows : 

"That  as  $10,000  is  a  just  proportion  for 
our  conference,  of  the  $200,000  annually 
asked  for  by  our  Foreign  Missionary  Board, 
we  pledge  ourselves  as  a  conference  to  reach 
this  goal  as  soon  as  possible."  This  will  mean 
a  little  less  than  an  average  of  one  dollar  per 
member  for  the  entire  conference.  A  number 
of  their  charges  have  already  reached  this 
plane  of  giving. 

How  Introduce  the  System? 

From  six  to  eight  weeks  before  the  annual 
conference  is  the  best  time  to  introduce  a  new 
116 


Appendix  A 

system  of  offerings  for  the  coming  year.  On 
many  charges,  perhaps,  a  good  way  would  be 
to  plan  for  the  weekly  system  for  the  local 
needs  first.  Let  competent  stewards  be  ap- 
pointed and  trained  for  their  work  in  advance, 
and  have  the  subscription-cards  and  envelopes 
prepared,  and  then  make  a  thorough  canvass 
of  the  entire  membership  to  secure  weekly 
pledges,  which  can  be  paid  weekly,  monthly, 
or  quarterly  (as  the  individual  may  deter- 
mine) to  cover  all  the  local  needs,  including 
the  pastor's  salary.  From  two  to  four  weeks 
later,  a  similar  thorough  canvass  should  be 
made  by  missionary  stewards,  who  have  been 
in  training,  and  who  have  their  subscription- 
cards  and  envelopes  ready.  This  work  should 
be  done  without  haste,  and  with  much  prayer 
and  faithfulness.  The  success  of  this  plan  de- 
pends almost  entirely  upon  the  conviction, 
wisdom,  and  perseverance  of  those  who  intro- 
duce it. 

Second  Best  Plan 

In  case  it  is  found  impracticable  to  intro- 
duce a  weekly  system  of  offerings  for  benevo- 
lence immediately,  on  many  fields  of  labor  a 
method  of  procedure  somewhat  as  follows  will 

117 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

bring  excellent  results,  and  will  prepare  the 
way,  in  a  year  or  two,  for  such  a  system : 

Fix  a  favorable  time  for  the  consideration 
of  the  great  foreign  missionary  work  of  the 
church ;  say,  within  six  weeks  after  the  annual 
conference.  Let  the  pastor  preach  a  series  of 
well-prepared  sermons  on  Christian  steward- 
ship and  the  marvelous  growth  and  oppor- 
tunities of  the  foreign  missionary  work. 
Every  member  of  the  church  should  be  sup- 
plied with  missionary  leaflets  that  will  show 
the  work  already  accomplished,  and  the  pres- 
ent needs  in  the  foreign  fields. 

After  the  scope  and  importance  of  the  work 
have  been  made  clear,  and  definite  prayer 
offered  for  God's  guidance,  subscriptions  (not 
a  mere  collection,  hut  actual  pledges)  should 
be  received  from  all  present  for  foreign  mis- 
sions. A  careful  canvass  should  then  be  made 
of  those  who  were  not  present,  and  this  should 
be  followed  up  at  once  with  tact  and  perse- 
verance until  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
who  is  a  member  of  the  church  has  made  an 
adequate  pledge  to  the  work  of  foreign  mis- 
sions for  the  whole  year.  At  least  three  or 
four  months'  time  should  he  given  in  which  to 
make  full  payment  of  these  pledges. 

118 


Appendix  A 

The  other  great  departments  of  benevolence 
should  receive  proper  emphasis  and  presenta- 
tion at  other  favorable  times  in  the  year. 
On  most  charges,  after  a  year  or  two  of  teach- 
ing and  training  in  this  v^ay,  when  the  mem- 
bership has  grasped  the  significance  and  mag- 
nitude of  the  various  benevolent  interests  of 
the  Church,  doubtless  all  of  these  departments 
can  be  combined,  with  advantage,  on  one  sub- 
scription card,  in  such  a  way  as  to  allow  for 
the  proper  discrimination  in  the  placing  of  in- 
dividual gifts.  And  thus  with  one  canvass  the 
local  church  will  then  be  able  to  provide  for 
its  entire  benevolent  work  for  the  year.  The 
bishops  of  the  Church  have  recently  appointed 
a  strong  committee  to  work  out  in  detail  such 
a  system  for  the  whole  Church. 

An  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Local  Congregation 

It  will  be  well  to  arrange  for  an  annual 
meeting  at  the  close  of  the  conference  year, 
when  the  entire  congregation  should  assemble 
to  hear  the  reports  from  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  church  for  the  year.  At  this 
congregational  meeting  the  benevolent  stew- 
ards, as  well  as  the  local  stewards,  should 
make  complete   reports ;  likewise,  the  church 

119 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

treasurer  should  present  to  the  congregation 
his  report  for  the  year.  This  meeting  will 
afford  an  excellent  opportunity  for  a  brief  in- 
spirational address,  and  the  approval  of  aims 
and  methods  of  work  for  the  coming  year  by 
the  congregation. 

Only  a  small  percentage  of  the  members  of 
some  churches  are  acquainted  with  the  work 
their  own  church  is  doing.  How  can  we  ex- 
pect such  persons  to  be  interested?  Through 
this  annual  meeting  the  entire  membership  is 
taken  into  consultation,  with  a  view  to  carry- 
ing forward  the  whole  work  of  the  church, 
and  this  can  be  made  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting and  profitable  meetings  of  the  entire 
year. 

Fuel  to  Keep  the  Fire  Burning 

A  system  of  offerings  for  both  local  needs 
and  for  benevolences  is  the  ideal ;  but,  good  as 
that  system  is,  it  will  not  run  of  itself.  There 
must  be  divine  power  to  keep  the  machinery 
in  motion  and  to  accomplish  the  end  in  view. 
The  love  of  Christ  and  interest  in  the  world's 
redemption  must  ever  be  present  to  stimulate 
and  guide  the  giving.  Congregations  must  be 
kept  acquainted  with  the  work  to  be  done,  and 

120 


Appendix  A 

with  the  work  already  done,  if  there  is  to  be 
an  ever-fresh  interest.  In  addition  to  a  sys- 
tem that  can  be  adapted  from  time  to  time  to 
changing  circumstances,  there  must  be  inspi- 
ration, instruction,  and  very  much  fervent 
praying,  and  God  will  give  the  increase. 


121 


^ppmdii  B 


*Helpful  Missionary  Books  and  Supplies 

FOR  PASTORS. 

The    Pastor    and    Modern    Missions^   by    John 

R.   Mott,  cloth $1  00 

The  Church  and  Missionary  Education,  Pitts- 
burg Convention  Report,  (A  limited 
number) 1  00 

Prayer  for  Missions,  a  pamphlet,  by  Profes- 
sor Warneck    05 

The    Non-Christian    Religions    Inadequate,    a 

pamphlet,  by  Robert  E.  Speer 05 

ForT;^'ard  Mission  Study  Library  No.  10.  Just 
oflE  the  press,  especially  valuable  for 
pastors.  AVrite  for  descriptive  circular. 
Publishers'  price  of  these  ten  books 
separjitely  $9.75,  but  in  this  uniformly 
cloth-bound   set    for   only    5  00 


MISSION    STUDY   BOOKS. 

Our    Foreign    Missionary    Enterprise,    by    Bishop 
Mills,  Drs.   Funk  and  Hough. 

The   Why   and    How    of  Foreign   Missions,   by  Dr. 
Arthur    J.    Brown. 

The  Uplift  of  China.     By  Arthur  H.  Smith. 

Daybreak    in    the    Dark    Continent.      A    study    of 
Africa,   by   \V.    S.    Naylor. 

The    Christian    Conquest    of   India.      By   James    M. 
Thoburn. 

Sunrise    in    the     Sunrise    Kingdom.       A     Study    of 
Japan,  by  J.  H.  DeForest. 

The  3Iolsem  World.     By  S.  M.  Zwemer. 

122 


Appendix  B 


Ugranda^N  W'hlte  Man  of  Work.  By  Mrs.  S.  Li. 
Fuhs.  A  thrilling^  biography  of  Alexander 
Mackay.  Written  especially  for  boys  and 
girls  12  to  16  years  of  age. 

What  Shall  I  Do?  By  Robert  E.  Speer.  (Off  the 
press  September,  1908.)  A  series  of  brief 
biographies  of  great  interest  to  young  men 
and  young  >vomen,  from  16  to  20  years  of 
age. 

Prices  of  these  nine  books,  35  cents  in  paper,  50 
cents  in  cloth,  postage  8  cents  extra.  Helps 
for  the  leader  free. 

Africa  for  Juniors,  by  Katharine  R.  Cro^vell  .  25 
China  for  Juniors,  by  Katharine  R.  Crowell  .  .  12 
Japan  for  Juniors,  by  Katharine  R.  Crowell  .  .  20 
Child   Life  in   Mission   Lands,  by  R.   E.   Diflen- 

dorfer,    cloth    50 

paper 35 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  HELPS. 

Missionary  Policy  for  the  Sunday  school   .  .  .  .Free 

Birthday  Box    Free 

A  Manual  of  Missionary  Methods  for  Sunday 
School  Workers,  with  27  charts,  by 
George  H.   Trull,  board    $     50 

Missions  in  the  Sunday  School,  illustrated,  by 

Martha  B.   Hixson,   clotli    50 

paper 35 

Set  of  Six  Colored  Charts,  36  x  40  Inches, 
How  Americans  Spend  Their  Money,  Re- 
ligious Census  of  the  World,  Two 
Parislies,  Religious  Divisions  of  Africa, 
World  Mission  Progress,  Tlie  Evangeliza- 
ton  of  the  World  In  This  Generation, 
edges    bound    with   cloth    1  25 

The  Missionary  Speaker,  250  selections  suit- 
able for  recitations    25 

Juvenile  Missionary  Library,  Ten  splendid 
volumes  for  boys  and  girls,  expressage 
extra,     5  00 


123 


The  Church  in  Earnest 

Missionary  Program  Xo.  1    35 

A  set  of  six  programs  acompany  charts. 
Topics:  Among  the  Teepes,  Dayhrealc 
in  the  Dark  Continent,  Letters  from  a 
Christian  Cliinese,  In  tlie  Land  of  Zenana, 
Two  Signs  in  Japan,  Great  W^ords  from 
Great  Pioneer  Missionaries. 

Missionary  Programs   No.  2    75 

Set  of  6  Large  Pictures  25  x  30  incites, 
for  platform  use.  Subjects:  Foreign^ 
TIte  Dog  Tliat  Preaclied  tlie  Missionary 
Sermon,  Burma.  A  3Iissionary  at  a  AVay- 
side  Shrine,  Japan.  A  Chinese  Student, 
Cliina.  .Home — Indians  and  tlie  Type- 
writer, Italian  Ragpicker's  Home,  Boys 
of  the  Street. 

Full  descriptive  matter  accompanies 
the  pictures,  furnishing  basis  for  a  Mis- 
sionary  talk. 

3Iissionary  Object  Lessons,  each  set 1  50 

One  set  on  Japan  and  one  on  Africa, 
3Iaterial  for  ten  or  twelve  lessons. 
Deals  with  home  life,  occupations, 
worship,   etc.      Has    descriptive   manual. 

Japan    Picture    Cards,    (per    set    of   12)      Des- 
cription  of  pictures   on  reverse   side. 


LEAFLETS   ON  CHRISTIAN   STEWARDSHIP. 

The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Church's  Finances, 
by  Bishop  Weekley,  1  cent  each,  per 
hundred    75 

3Ioney    and    the    Gospel,    by    Secy.    Hough,    2 

cents  each,  per  hundred  by  mail 1  25 

What    We    Owe    and    the    Results    of    Paying 

it,  by  Layiuan,  per  hundred 1  50 


^These  supplies  may  be  ordered  from  the  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,  1003  U.  B.  Big.,  Dayton, 
Ohio,  or  from  the  U.  B.  Publishing  House, 
Dayton,  Ohio. 


124 


